Oathkeeper
by Ijoufu-Raijinken
Summary: During a routine afternoon nap, Sora's life suddenly becomes very complicated. Shadowy creatures, the disappearance of his friends, and a weapon that can break or save worlds are but a few mysteries that must now be solved. Kingdom Hearts I Retelling.
1. Forward

Welcome to Oathkeeper! I hope you enjoy your stay. Please read this first, it may clear a few things up.

First off, I would like to inform everybody that I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If this is news to anybody, please consult your local doctor about some form of head trauma.

If it's news to me, then I should have enough royalty cheques to keep me burried in pocky and sushi forever. And those really big chocolate muffins... And a bunch of other things that I like. Maybe...

Too bad it's not news to me.

Now, Oathkeeper. Kingdom Hearts is a charming game on it's own. I had a lot of fun playing, and I'm sure if you're reading this, you did too. If you DIDN'T... then I'm questioning why you're here. You're welcome anyway, but you might want to check for head trauma, as advised above.

However... lets not fool ourselves, it targets a younger audience. THIS targets a slightly older audience. My rather high rating is specifically for graphic scenes of violence (Because they're swords, not foam bats), coarse language (Curse you Cid, AND your potty mouth.), and... nudity? I don't remember writing that. I don't plan on it either. No nudity. Sora is FOURTEEN. As hilarious as it would be if the most innocent thing to come out of square since MOOGLES to get deflowered, I won't be doing that at LEAST until the second book. Second book meaning Kingdom Hearts II. Meaning Sora will be older, and capable of doing more then lying back and gaping like a fish. Should such a scene occor, it will be posted NOT on , but somewhere else entirely for your viewing pleasure. Because if it WERE posted here, that would be asking the administrators to sharpen their pitchforks. I HAVE seen rather graphic scenes before, of sexual nature, but I don't know where the line is drawn. Maybe I'll find out later... meh.

As far as a pairing goes, I'm not sure yet. I like Yuffie. I think it would be hilarious, but the suggestion is met with resistance by a few of my friends. Comments on the matter will be accepted, and considered. But I have a couple of contengency plans either way. Expect not a lot of romance in this book though. Sora's drifting from world to world. Not a lot of time for hormonal distress.

I also feel safe to inform you that the ultimate crossover game, will _not_ be limited only to Disney and Final Fantasy. Oh, there will be surprises. I am well traveled as far as games go. Oh, there _will_ be surprises indeed...

So. I'll not keep you any longer. I want reviews but I'm going to try not to whine for them. I most of all want you to enjoy what I've done. I hope to become a better writer through this experience.

My name will be a secret, but I'm male, if you're curious. My pen-name is Ijoufu-Raijinken. I am pleased to meet all of you. Enjoy my dreams, my reality, my visions...


	2. Prologue

_(To be safe, I'm going to remind anyone who's curious that anything that has a copyright, is copyrighted to their respective owners. No joke.)_

Sora was holding a keyblade in his hands. Oddly enough, it wasn't his either.

With all the emphasis on THE keyblade, Sora always thought the sword he used was the only one of it's kind. A heroic weapon, bane of the Heartless. While some speculated that it looked like it couldn't cut butter, one child went so far to ask why he was carrying around a toy, it had the ability to open any lock he used it on. It was always at hand, summoning itself at his heart's call, and sometimes without. The reliable blade would flash into his hand of its own accord if Heartless were lurking nearby, alerting him to their presence. He was thankful, because this had saved his heart more then once. He often wondered if it was sentient, though he didn't know that word or what it meant. More accurately, he wondered if the sword could think for itself.

The keyblade offered a sense of comfort, strengthening his heart and resolve as soon as it was in his fist. It was the subject of some legends, and from those who knew its significance, he received several different reactions. From two of his closest friends, it was a symbol of some sort of salvation. From one king of the watery depths, it was a symbol of impending ruin. He had much time to consider both ends, and any others that presented themselves. The keyblade certainly didn't make him invincible as others thought, he knew this after being injured and wounded several times in battle. The conclusion he drew was that the keyblade, despite never feeling quite right in his hands, was his and so it was salvation, and not ruin. He would not dream of turning it's power on any innocent.

This one though... a second keyblade. This one offered him no feelings holding it, and it felt strange to hold. Even less accustomed to his hands then his own, it felt like... an object. Not a force, like his.

It was certainly identical to his, to a degree. While his sported a silvery 'blade' with key teeth at the end, a black handle and a round guard, yellow in hue, this one differed. The one he held was black in blade and handle. The round guard was red as blood. He certainly knew that color by now, and it unnerved him ever so slightly. Instead of teeth at the end, it had a single spike, shaped a bit like a bat's wing. The largest detail he noted, however, was the lack of chain on the hilt.

His keyblade had a key chain, for lack of a better term, and on the end was a trinket resembling three interlocking circles. He had seen the same symbol several times, a few times in the trials on the fateful day months ago, and on Goofy's shield too. Donald had remarked once in his odd voice that it resembled the head of their king. When he asked again about the symbol, he learned it apparently branded several banners and things back on their home world. After that, he summoned his weapon, and studied it intently. It never felt quite at home in his grip. Perhaps, that was because it was from this other world they described? One that he had never seen, despite having been well traveled, he thought.

This other keyblade however had no chain to speak of. And this confused Sora, as things often did. He knew little of the keyblade's nature, but his was from this other world, and it was made to destroy heartless, and seal other worlds off to them. It was branded by the chain, as a part of that world. This one though, seemed to belong to nothing. It was as if his foe had pulled it from the air itself (Saying nothing of the method of drawing a keyblade, HIS certainly appeared out of nowhere often enough). What sort of thing was this? It really WAS different...

It also apparently had the ability to unlock people's hearts. What exactly that entailed puzzled him further. Used on the witch from earlier, it granted her desire of filling her heart with darkness. This gave rise to new powers, and strengthened other powers she had from wielding said darkness in the first place. The resulting battle was both grueling and destructive, leaving the large room they fought in almost ready to collapse when it was finally over. It was certainly lucky they were carrying enough supplies to cure an entire army._  
'Well... a small one maybe...'_ He thought with a mental laugh.

He then continued thinking, as he looked the sword over yet again. There was something in his heart that needed unlocking, rather badly, he might add. This keyblade was certainly a method, but he wondered just how safe it was. It was a powerful object; this much was common knowledge to the three occupants in the room. It had cut him deep when he was separated from his friends by a barrier. Said barrier was never breached either, despite spell after mighty spell Donald punished it with, or how many times Goofy hammered it with his considerable strength. He wondered even now how he managed to prevail in the desperate duel._  
'No, that's not important now.'_ Indeed, it wasn't. The matter at hand was, however. It seemed there was only one course of action to take._ 'Now, that hag's heart was unlocked with a thrust, so...'_

Donald and Goofy watched their friend turn the foreign keyblade over and over again in his hand. He was considering something, that was for sure. Goofy pondered as to whether or not he was going to take it with them. Two keyblades certainly seemed better then one. His thoughts were struck down and replaced with shock however, when Sora positioned the point of the sword over his chest. Donald realized right away what he was about to do, and he knew this was a bad idea. Goofy knew it was a bad idea. Sora definitely knew it was a bad idea, having that much time to think about it. They looked at him, gazes asking him what the hell he was playing at. The goofy grin he sent back at them answered any questions they had. He was going to sacrifice himself, again.

"SORA, NO!"


	3. Ch 1: Heartless

_(Everything that has a copyright, is copyrighted to their respective owners. Well... that should satisfy the lawyers. Maybe...)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter One: Heartless

_'I've been having these wierd thoughts lately...'_

Oh yeah, these thoughts were wierd alright. Strange dreams, AND catchy pop-techno music for the duration too. It sounded suspiciously like a song Kairi was listening to a day or two ago... She was a part of those thoughts, those dreams. Riku too... What could it mean? He vaguely remembered Kairi's sunny smile, Riku's calm face, and his hand reaching out to take his. He still didn't understand why he was so calm when there was a freaking tidal wave behind him. Then looking at a falling star, and then BEING the falling star, he had to have taken a hard hit that last game of blitzball. He never was very good at it, and as always Riku wiped the floor with everybody who had the inconvience of being on the other side. Yeah, that had to have been it. He took a blitzball to the face, courtacy of Wakka, and it rattled him to the point of having very wierd dreams.

That didn't explain the ones before this one though. The previous dreams, thoughts...

It took him the better part of a half hour sometimes, sitting in a daze on his bed to set apart what was real and wasn't. And even after that, he couldn't help but wonder if he had misplaced a detail here or there. And he would continue pondering as he set himself up for the rest of the day.

Riku would chuckle and Kairi would bop him on the head for spacing out. When he told them, they listened intently and nodded thoughtfully. They could offer nothing in the form of possible explination

When he told his parents, his mother 'hmmmm'd, making a sound to let him know she WAS in fact paying attention. His father didn't seem to care, writing it off as something going on in his fourteen year old mind. He knew this was the conclusion his mom came to as well, just in the way she patted his head and told him that 'It will pass, dear.'

If it was going to pass, he wished it could've passed earlier. He had been sitting on a stainglass floor for about twenty minutes, trying to wake up and it was not working in the slightest. He knew how to wake up. If he realized he was dreaming, maybe a nightmare or something, he could close his eyes, scream at himself to wake up and he would. It worked every single time but this one. There were three pedistals in front of him, and floating above each was an object. Each one inspired a sense of awe in him, but he was trying not to pay attention to them. He was trying to wake up.

_'WAKE UP!'_

Unsuccessfully.

_'Dammit...'_ At the use of the language his mother forbade, he mentally flinched slightly. Such was the conditioning of a domestic life. However he didn't know the words 'conditioning' or 'domestic', or the principals behind the phrase. So, he mentally fliched, reminded himself that he shouldn't think or say that word, or a few others on a list that Riku had unknowingly provided for him through HIS daily life and mannerisms.

He finally gave up attempting to wake up, and got to his feet. Looking around, he was suprised by a voice speaking in his head. Not his voice.

_**'So much to do... so little time...'**_

So little time? And what were these things that needed doing? ...And why was he hearing voices in his head? Was he going crazy? So many questions... so few answers...

_**'Take your time... don't be afraid...'**_

Wait a minute, if there was so little time, why was he allowed to take as long as he wanted? And what should he be afraid of? Well... there were voices in his head first of all. Well, one voice, but it could be the first of many... Secondly, he was pretty sure this platform, made of stainglass, was floating above what might have been a bottomless abyss. A close study over the side of the platform confirmed his suspicions, and he scrambled quickly to the center, far from any edges. Then he realized that such activity on anything made of glass was a bad idea. So again he sat, carefully, and tried not to move a lot. There was a lot of inky black down there and not a lot of ground, however far it might be.

_**'The door is still shut.'**_

What door?

_**'Now step forward... can you do it?'**_

Well of _course_ he could walk. Was the voice teasing him? He didn't half like it if it was, not like Riku's teasing... This wasn't friend teasing. Maybe it wasn't teasing at all. Still, he was very convinced moving was a bad idea.

The voice had fallen silent. So he should... get up and step forward? Maybe... if this was a dream, he wasn't going to get hurt. Might as well. A few steps wouldn't break the ground if his activity hadn't already. And they didn't. The objects still floated where they were, and they were the only thing his attention could grab, except for the girl depected in the glass. Or those seven strange looking men. No, the sword, wand and shield all floating there were much more interesting to look at.

_**'Power sleeps within you.'**_

Oh, the voice was back. Why was it quiet for so long? Maybe this place, this world... revolved around him? Maybe...

_**'If you give it form... it will give you strength...'**_

Power? Strength? What sort of strength could he possibly have? He was certainly nothing special. He was shown up constantly at nearly everything. Blitzball, racing, swimming, school grades... about the only talent he could claim was perhaps swordfighting. He and Riku both played at it often, and the fights were generally close. Riku still won mostly though... Riku was stronger, Kairi was smarter, and he was sort of stuck in the middle. He loved his friends so much, and though he obviously knew _that_ word, he like most boys wouldn't be caught dead using it. He would be using it to describe Kairi and Riku, and saying he loved Riku was just wierd. Kairi though, everybody would take notice of that right away and the pair would never hear the end of it. Kairi would be embarassed, and that was something he didn't want to see.

And he was getting off task in his head again, thinking about just everything that wormed it's way in there. He snapped out of it just in time for the three objects to flash and start standing out a bit more. As if they had just lit up.

_**'Choose well.'**_

Wait, choose? He could keep one of these? Cool. So he took a closer look at one, the sword first. Blue handle, yellow pommel and guard, large blade... and a red insignia on that guard, something that looked like three circles, aranged in an upside-down trianguar shape. And as he took it in his hands-

_-He rushed into a canyon, and a hundred- no, a THOUSAND black and malevolent creatures awaited him. Let them try to take him down. He was strong, insanely so. Not invincible, but closer to that then these things certainly. He was seperated from his companions but he could make out alone if he had to, at least until each of these were no more. His comrades were very strong too, but he wanted to help them just as much as he was sure they wanted to help him. These had to come first, though. He held the sword he chose and asumed a stance, confident smirk daring the first creature to step forth. Several did and he met them with a battle cry, swinging and cutting through the one on his left before-_

-and dropped it as a vision of heroism entered his head. That was him, he was certain, using this sword to face down an army, and he knew that he would've come out of it alive, though not unscathed, he would've prevailed. This... this was defenately strength. Was that what the voice was talking about? Would that vision come true if he took this? When he dropped it, it had returned to the pedistal, waiting for him to claim it. Maybe... he should choose the sword?

But there were still two more, a wand and a shield. What did they have to offer? He should find out, maybe they were something better?

He walked, and then angled himself as he decided to examine the wand first. A green handle and on the top, a blue head shaped like that insignia on the sword. Was this shape important? What would he see if he touched it? He reached out with a finger, and touched it, expecting something similar. Nothing happened however, and he wondered if something was wrong. So he grabbed it-

_-Fans cheered, several people from several worlds, all there to see HIM. It put a feeling of insurmountable pride in his chest. He knew that word, and several others, because he was smart. He could stare down any enemy and anyalize it and strategize, and deal with it efficiantly, and this made him strong, valued by his companions, his friends. He fought well, and it was a good thing he could, being in a place like this. The gate opposite him opened and black monsters spilled out and rushed him before the man on the sidelines had said the battle could begin. Dishonorable. He waved the wand he chose, and gave it a mighty swing, leveling it at the closest monster, and a burst of flame erupted from the end. One fell, and others rushed to take his place. He raised the wand and lightning began crashing down around him. Magic rushed through his veins as he whipped around to fire off another spell-_

-and was shocked when another vision forced it's way through him. He seemed to be somebody completely different that time, and it was streange, but gratifying being that smart. He was not stupid, by any means. Some said he was a bit simple, but he knew he wasn't stupid. Just... for those few seconds, he was so intelligent. And that power he had, magic? Was this the power that rested within him perhaps? These abilitys? Was that what greeted him if he took the wand?

One remained to be seen, and he wondered what vision could possibly accompany a shield. The wand and sword were both weapons, and they promised great power... or did they? Maybe those visions were what they represented? Or perhaps he would aquire these powers, depending on what he took.

While he was considering this, he had already made his way over to the shield, and he gave it an apraising eye. A black shield with a red outline. In the middle, in the same red as the outline was that insignia again. Three circles interlocked. He chuckled to himself as he considered what the shape might be. The image of a head, and two large round ears came first, and he dismissed it because that was rediculous. Reaching out, he grabbed the side-

_-In front of him was an enemy, leveling a sword and getting ready to run him through in an attempt to pass him by. Behind Sora was an unconcious friend, somebody he knew, cherished, and loved, who would be used for some decidedly evil purpose. He stood between his enemy and his friend armed only with the shield he chose. He regretted not his decision. He would use this shield to protect gladly. His was a life of self sacrifice, but every time there was something important at stake, and given the chance, he would make no past decision differently. He was forced to face this foe alone, but he would fight and he would win. Bravery surged through him, and a different brand of strength with it as he took the blow and pushed back-_

-and released it after the vision. This was no different then the others. Circumstance, yes of course that was different, but at the core... each offered him something. A strength that he could use. The sword, floating there, looking as sharp as anything he had ever seen could cut down any enemy while the wand, almost a mace in it's shape, offered him a level head and calm hand. He could help his friends, or make important decisions, well... both were invaluable. Then...

Behind him the shield shone as if it had been polished for hours. Maybe a day's worth. This offered him valor, courage. In the vision of the warrior, he faced a thousand enemies alone. That was not him. His friends would be there, and if not, they would be shortly. Riku would stand for no less, and Kairi, despite not being anything special in a fight would be just the same. In the vision of the mystic, he thought quickly, stratigised, had a vast vocabulary to boot. He wondered why he couldn't recall the meanings of those words outside of the vision. However, that was still not him. Sora was not the smart one and so he didn't trust himself to make important decisions, ones where the wrong answer would mean a cost he would never want to pay. Riku wouldn't trust himself either, unless he only had himself to rely on at the moment, but that wouldn't be so. They would all discuss, and Kairi would offer some important point, and they would trudge on ahead, content. This was how it always was.

The shield was something different. He was prepared to die, if needed. He knew he wouldn't, but what shocked him about the vision was that he would indeed die gladly if it would save his friends. Death was finality, there would be nothing else. His future would disappear and if there was something after, he would be thrust into the unknown utterly alone. He would've made this sacrifice without hesitation or qualm, and he would be unconvinced that it was foolhardy. Sora didn't know if, should the circumstance present itself, he could commit himself without any sort of thinking first. But he wanted to, oh did he ever. This went beyond looking good to people. This was a degree of protection that would in many cases ensure safety. He wanted to be reliable, he wanted to be depended on, and he wanted to be brave. He didn't know if the vision of the guardian was him, but he wanted it to be, very much. He tenatively reached out for the shield, grasped it, and when he experienced no further visions, he took it into his hands and it split into several lights. These lights entered him, and after realizing what just happened, he also realized that he felt no different. Power? Strength? ...Maybe he already had it? Or maybe he was gyped. Stupid voice...

Then he noticed the shaking.

_'Oh no, don't tell me-!'_

The pedistals disappeared, sunk into the floor, seemed to break. The wand dissappeared into thin air, and for some reason the sword remained. And the ground began to shatter, from one side to the other, and he was sent spinning, falling into the abyss. The fall slowed and he was gently lowered onto more glass. This time the picture was that of a beautiful woman, obviously a princess. She had to be with that dress and tiara. He heard a whistling in the air, and looked up. Directly above, the sword had fallen and had not slowed at _all_. In an attempt _not to die_, he fell backwards, and the sword landed with an audible _CLANG_, sinking into the floor between his thighs. Sora sat like that, sweating, haunted by the thoughts of what would happen if he had not fallen, or worse, what might've happened if the sword had fallen just a touch closer...

He stood, and wondered why it was still there. He had made his choice, and now the shield was in him for some reason. The sword simply should've vanished with the wand. But it was now here, in the ground which was _not_ shattering, despite the impact and now protruding spike of very deadly metal. Seeing nothing else to do, he touched it wondering if there would be another vision. There was not. He grabbed it's hilt and still saw nothing. so he wrapped both hands around the handle and heaved it out of the ground, and noticed with confusion that it left no mark in the woman's face where it had landed. It was as if it had fallen into his hand directly, no disturbance whatsoever.

_**'There will be times when you must fight'**_

_'Oh, hello voice. Where have _you_ been?'_ Then Sora noticed the sword he was holding, and the mention of fighting. _'Wait a sec, what now?!'_

He looked around desperately for an enemy and found none. There were now black sploches on the woman's dress though. Why had the picture cha- no, why were those marks moving?!

_**'Keep your light burning strong.'**_

Well, light seemed like a good thing to fight shadows with, especially ones that were rising out of the glass. Still, since he had no light, the weapon would have to do. He took a ready position with the sword, and prepared to defend himself against whatever these things were. A small black creature crawled rather creepily out of the floor, and stood at about a foot's height, studying him with large yellow eyes. Horror movie entrence aside, it was actually very cute. Then it yelled a shrill cry and two more joined it. It advanced on him as it's brothers came into being, then lept with an agility he wasn't sure it should have. It stretched the claws Sora failed to notice the first look out at him as if it had been starving for weeks. And Sora was lucky the swing that was half reflex caught it. It tumbled to the side, and disapated in black smoke. And the boy marvled at the sword. It had cut the thing almost in two. It would have if the swing wasn't so awkward. He also wondered why this thing didn't have blood. The shock of actually bisecting a living creature was lost on him as he eyed the other two beasts critically. They were running forward to finish what the first had started. Sora, ready this time, managed to destroy them both as well. And as he grew confident, another hit him in the back. He was knocked to the ground as the creature began slashing his back as Sora reached for the sword. And then the most horrible feeling overcame him.

It felt like the inky creature was reaching _inside_. Inside of _him_. And he felt it's little fist closed around something and he grew cold and stunned. It was a different sort of pain as it felt as if something was being snuffed out, and he heard it's cry of victory. In a fit of despiration Sora grabbed the sword, elbowed the creature off, and ran the blade through it's belly, pinning it to the ground, and gasped as if he had not been breathing the entire time. He wasn't, but it didn't matter. Whatever that thing was doing to him...

His back hurt, and his chest felt hollow. Whatever that creature was trying to do, it hadn't suceeded, but it was close. What had it grabbed...? The draft he felt through the hole in the back of his vest and shirt didn't do anything to ease the pain of the doubtlessly bloody scratches below his shoulders. He released the sword, and fell backwards, leaving it stuck in the ground. His heavy breaths were the only sound in the quiet place. And as his heart's beat began to slow, he was terrified again as another black sploch, much larger, appeared directly under him and he fell in to what felt like a vat of molasass. He attempted to keep himself afloat in the strange substance that was once the floor and screamed and screamed for help but none came and he struggled and kicked and kept screaming, and then the substance was gone, and he realised that he was kicking and screaming and struggling on the floor of yet another stain glass platform. Looking around to see if he had embarassed himself in front of anybody, he winced as he felt his back still burning and the lances of pain that came with twisting around to survey this new place. There was a door, and he didn't bother to see what the new floor depicted before getting up and sprinting to it, ignoring how his back complained. Doors were an escape, and he wanted out of this place very much.

The other side of the door yielded nothing. The scenery changed drastically, but he was still in this wierd dream world. How did he know? He simply did. That, and the sword from before was there, stuck in the center of the wooden floor of the fort he remembered from the island his friends visited as often as they could. Why did this place change to resemble home? Why were people he knew here? Three other kids he knew were there, kids he played with ocasionally with Riku and Kairi, but they weren't here with these three. He recognised Tidus, a boy who sometimes played swords with him and Riku. Wakka was over on the other side, a blitzball under his arm. And Selphie, she was leaning against a railing, wearing that secret smile she wore sometimes when she talked to Kairi. They would say something in hushed voices, look at him or Riku, and they would giggle, and it confused them both to no end. All were studying him, and they all looked like they knew something he didn't.

_**'Hold on, the door won't open just yet...'**_

_'Freaking voice!'_

_**'First, tell me more about yourself...'**_

_'Go to hell! If you don't get me out of here right now, so help me I'll take that sword an- huh?'_

He was scared, he was hurt, and above all, he wanted his friends, badly. He had these three mockerys of people he knew, and it angered him because it felt like he was being toyed with. As such, he was threatening, something he wasn't inclined to do, and almost didn't notice Selphie approach him. She waited until he turned his gaze on her, and she asked him a question in her sing-song voice.

"What's most important to you?" That was a good question, one very out of place here though. However, he paused to think about his answer. He had learned the only way to get anywhere was to do the obvious thing, and that right now was to listen and answer this question. The sooner he did, the sooner he could leave this not-quite-a-dream and hug Kairi and Riku and forget it all ever happened. And his answer was there, he guessed. He thought again, thinking that he should answer truthfully.

"... I guess... my friends are most.. important."

"Is friendship really such a big deal?"

"Of course it is! I don't know what I'd do if Riku and Kairi weren't there to... oh... alright, walk away..." When the fake Selphie received her answer, she seemed to lose interest, and she left. Feeling somewhat dejected, he wondered if he had made the right choise. It was thrown back in his face, so perhaps it wa-  
"What-da-ya want most outta life?" And he turned to see Wakka had approached him next. His think accent was something he could never place. Aparently he was from another island somewhere. Did they all talk like that there? But the question was one he managed to answer a little faster.

"Um... I want to keep my friends safe. I want to be strong so I can."

"Ya? Interesting... Strong, huh...?" And he too walked away, looking as if he were in deep thought. Sora didn't get a lot of time to think about this as the third question came when Tidus approached him directly after.

"What are you afraid of?" Everything about Tidus was cocky, even the way he talked. Sora got the feeling if he told him, Tidus would immedetely round on him and make fun of him. But, he had to answer, so... what _was_ he afraid of? Sora doubted Tidus was talking about his fear of spiders... no, he was looking for something more complex... He couldn't really concieve being afraid of losing his friends, because the thought seemed preposterous. They would always be there, and he would be faithful to that thought. So what else could he be afraid of...? And then he remembered the feeling of that shadow reaching inside him, and getting ready to remove something. Devour it. Steal it. He shuddered. "...I see..." And that was all Tidus said. Sora's answer never came, but Tidus still knew.

_**'The day you will open the door is both far off and very near.'**_

_'What the heck's that suposed to mean?'_

And then everything was white. Then he could see again and he was back in that dark everything, wondering where all the light was coming from so he could see, standing on stain glass. This time, another beautiful woman, defenately another princess. But she was surounded by black thorns. He thought again of the shadows. And as if summoned, they began to appear. The sword was still stuck in the center of the room, and he scrambled to get it out of the ground, and brought it up, slicing through the first one to jump. He turned around, leading with the blade and cut through another as he tried to figure out how many there were. One rammed into his side, and he paniced, thrusting the weapon through it after he landed on his behind. He kicked one away, and another ran it's claws up his leg. Hissing in pain, he hammered it with the sword and scrambled to his feet, accidentally stepping on one that had made a mad lunge. He ran to the side of the platform, and turned to noticed that he wasn't being followed right away. Two dozen were facing him, spread out and slowly closing in. Three got too eager, and Sora managed to cut two before the third attacked his shoulder, and reached out a claw towards his chest. He knew what it intended to do, and yelled as he hit it with his hurt arm, before stabbing it into the floor. He looked up helplessly, and searched desperately for some form of escape. Behind him, more stainglass was appearing in the form of rising stairs. He was never paticularily religious, but he thanked any god there was anyway, smashing the next attacker aside with renewed vigor, he turned tail and ran up the appearing steps, hoping they wouldn't just decide to stop appearing. The shadows were in hot persuit,a few getting close and scratching the backs of his sprinting legs.

He yelled for help one last time, and sighted another large platform in the distance. Hoping against hope for somebody else to be there, or another weapon, one with the power to destroy each of these black monsters and make the hurting and the fear end, he ran to the stairs end, and was dismayed to find nothing. He turned, eyes wide, attempting to detect when the next would fling itself at him, but was suprised to see the stairs behind him empty of all threats. Whirling around, nothing was there either. He was alone again. The sword made a dull clang when it hit the ground, and he fell to his hands and knees, panting for breath, so glad to still be alive, and wondering feverently what was going to happen next in this dream hell.

_**'The closer you get to light. The greater your shadow becomes.'**_ His heart and breathing stopped as he drew a bad conclusion from this cryptic message, and he grabbed the sword and looked wildly for any of the shadows. Or something greater.

His eyes settled on his own shadow, which hecouldn't remember casting before now. It was long, and spindly, a twisted version of what it normally was. And it began to rise out of the ground, distorting itself as it grew steadily larger.

_**'But don't be afraid.'**_

Long tendrals of whatever those shadows from earlier were made of twisted and writhed around the new creature, and Sora looked on in helpless terror as it continued to grow larger.

_**'And don't forget...'**_

He turned and ran to the edge of the platform, and almost fell off. There was no staircase to save him this time. This shadow had him exactly where he wanted him. The sword slipped out of Sora's shaking grasp, and bounced off the edge of the floor, slowly spinning as it fell into the darkness. Now completely defenceless and cursing his clumsiness, he turned to see his terror had stopped growing, and was now stalking towards him, intent unmistakable. It looked just as hungry as the others. It's hand flew out at him, and he would never know how he managed to gather the sense needed to leap away from it. Again, it tried to pin him down, but it missed, again and again the same thing. Once, just once, he lept closer to it in an attempt to get away from both arms, and it kicked him, an attack that blew the air out of his lungs, and caused him to fly close to the edge again. He landed, and coughed, and he was sure he tasted blood. It was so hard to move and again he wished for his friends. Kairi, to comfort him. Riku, to make him feel safe. But they did not come, and the colossus stared into his eyes from where it was, having halted it's advances. Darkness appeared under Sora, and it began to drag him down.

_**'But don't be afraid...'**_ The voice repeated, as he struggled weakly to free himself.

_**'You hold the mightiest weapon of all.' **_ Sora trembled as the cold darkness wrapped around him, and the monster stood by and watched his demise.

_**'So don't forget...'**_ It became hard to breathe, and he screamed again as he felt something seeping into him and wraping around a part of him deep inside. Something shifted, and he became colder and colder as the shadows slowly took what they had been hunting the entire time. His vision grew darker, and he wondered if this was what it was like to die. That part of him was not gone, but it was slowly being ripped from him and it was agony in everything it was.

_**'You are the one who will open the door.'**_

_'Riku... Kai...ri...'_

"Sora!" And he bolted upright, quickly blinded by the sun, and he tried to collect what had happen. HIs mind was moving quickly and much too slowly at the same time, and it was overwhelming him. "Sora, are you alright? You were thrashing... I thought you were having a nightmare... were you...?" Kairi's pretty face was the next thing he saw, and her lips were pursed in concern. He said nothing. He could say _nothing_, because suddenly everything was okay, and whatever was happening barely twenty seconds ago had to have been worse then death!

"Sora! Kairi!" Riku ran over, dropping a log he was carrying as he came close. "Sora, you were struggling pretty hard... what were you doing? Are you alright?" When Sora again said nothing, he turned to Kairi for some form of explination. She gave none, being as clueless as he was. Sora's attention was now on the sand he was sitting on, the sand he had aparently been sleeping on. His back still hurt, his shoulder, his legs... a quick check showed that they were still clawed, and bleeding badly. And he felt his mysteriously mended shirt starting to stick to his back as blood started to soak it. Riku noticed the blood slowly running down his arm first, and put his hand on Sora's other shoulder. "Sora! What happened?!" Panic was evident in his voice. Kairi noticed right after, and softly placed a hand on his cheek to turn his face to hers.

"Sora, how did you get hurt like this...? It's..." He was bleeding, hurt, and every movement he made caused it to hurt worse. He was bloody and dizzy and tired, and he could still taste the metalic tang resulting from that kick, and _that meant it was not a dream_. As Kairi was the one he was currently facing, he wailed and threw his arms around her, holding her tightly, never wanting her or Riku to leave him alone ever again, and after a few moments of awkward confusion, she embraced the crying Sora back, and whispered into his ear things that Riku could not make out. He didn't have to make these things out, because he was in dispair seeing his friend in this state, so he didn't really care how Kairi was reassuring Sora. The only thing that mattered was that he had yet done nothing to contribute. He knelt down, and enveloped Sora in his strong arms from behind. His hands came to rest on Kairi's back, his arms having constricted around them both, and the two held Sora as he cried and wailed and they couldn't bring themselves to ask about whatever had horrified him so, or what had hurt him, so they just held eachother and hoped soon that the terror would stop, and they could find out what happened, and make sure that it never happened to him again.

They were on that beach until the sun set.


	4. Ch 2: Awakening

_(Everything that has a copyright, is copyrighted to their respective owners. Is it paranoid to state this on every chapter?)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Two: Awakening

Whatever had traumatized Sora refused to leave him alone, even a week afterward. True, he was no longer breaking down and crying, like he had done for the second and final time for his parents, who were more confused then Riku or Kairi. However, he was jittery in a way that suggested paranoia. And points toward paranoia were proven when he tried to sleep over with, or have over Riku as often as he could. He had asked once if he could do the same with Kairi, however that was met with blatent refusal for a few reasons. The first was obvious. She was a girl. He and Riku were boys. Experiements may or may not have happened, and they had not yet made them conditioned against any and all thoughts of sex as of yet. The second reason, was Kairi herself.

Kairi had literally appeared out of nowhere one day. The mayor had looked away from a place on the street for little more then a second, and then when he looked back, a girl of about nine years was standing there wearing something like an expensive dress. Something you would expect a princess to be wearing.

At the time of her appearence, there had been a festival hapening in the town, and naturally the mayor had to be there. Seeing Kairi in all her splendor, looking around confused as she was, he concluded that she may be a part of something happening on the stage in front. People were already being seated, so he took the girl's hand, told her to follow, and lead her towards the back of the stage to help her find her place. When he presented her however, the manager of the upcomming preformance didn't recognise her at all. She wasn't really suposed to be there at all. And poor Kairi hadn't said a single word yet, looking positively baffled with just everything she saw.

The first word she spoke was her name when asked. And that seemed to be the only information she could provide. If she was to be believed, she had absolutely no memory of before she 'appeared' on the sidewalk near the mayor. She couldn't remember her parents, her home, and she knew absolutely nothing of where she was. Normally any sort of girl of her age in situations like this, resorted to crying. She however, remained silent and calmly observed the goings on around her with an air of fasination. She spoke softly and politely when spoken to, and said nothing otherwise, when they were trying to make sense of her.

It was during one of these intervals that two boys walking through the crowd in search of a snack stand caught sight of her, and instantly became infatuated. Both stood in silent awe, unable to say anything at all until she turned and noticed their wide eyed stares. She was taller then both, as girls were at that age. Half her head's height over the one with spiky hair. The other, she was almost eye level with. The taller boy, with lavender hair falling just above his shoulders came to himself first, and introduced himself as Riku. He then had to nudge Sora in the side before he could stammer out his name as well. She laughed, though still looking curious as all heck. What she did next almost shocked Sora into a coma. She wondered about his hair, how it defied all known physics as it did. So naturally, she walked up and started fiddling with it lightly, in an examination. Somehow, the spikes as they were, weren't all rough like she had expected. Riku almost doubled over, remembering how he had done the exact same thing when the two had met a couple of years ago, while Sora simply stood there, shaking like a leaf.

A minute or two of this passed, before she remembered that what she had done was quite rude. She stepped back flustered, before appologizing and giving her name, finally. Now that the two boys had a name for her, it was a simple matter of asking her to spend the day with them. She gave a glance back at the group of adults, still debating on what to do with the girl, before accepting, eager to see more of them and this place she was now in. And so, they resumed their quest for a snack stand, with another kid in tow. And the two boys walked all the prouder, because they were the escorts for a princess.

It was a half hour before the concerned adults had realized the mysterious girl had gone. Mild panic ensued. If the children were still around, the wouldn't have stopped laughing for a while.

It was several hours later by the light of the setting sun that they found three giggling children sitting on a beach next to the remains of three baskets of nachos. The three were dirty, sweaty, and laughing as loudly as they could. However, in her ruined dress, Kairi laughed the loudest of all. She was placed in an orphanage and none claimed her for the next two weeks. After that, she was free for adoption, though still none claimed her. So at that orphenage she remained for three months, shunned for her unique circumstance, before the mayor himself took pity on the girl he had discovered and took her home.

It was a pity that Sora's parents had such a limited view. They saw nothing of the kind of girl Kairi was, or how tragic her story might have been from certain angles. When Sora asked about her spending the night, they forgot anything of friendship. All they knew was that at the aproximate age of nine years, she was found without any sort of family. She was taken in by a widower mayor, despite the respect he garnered at the time. She did not have a proper upbringing, so she was dangerous. Sora could spend time with her, but of course he couldn't ever persue anything past their current relationship, because she was a red haired trollop waiting to happen. Her circumstance made that obvious to them. And of course, despite Sora's current state, an attempt at Kairi was exactly what this was to them.

General paranoia aside, everybody was more stumped with Sora's aparent attack then they were when Kairi appeared out of nowhere. Somehow he had sustained multiple lacerations, the worst of which were on his upper back. Those ones there were sustained _through his shirt_, and if anyone else on the island (meaning Wakka, Tidus, Selphie, Kairi, _and_ Riku) were to be believed, he also sustained these injurys alone, asleep, and undisturbed for a while. Nothing had attacked him, and nobody could find out what had happened from the victim himself, because for day they found him, and the day following, he was a quivering wreck. After that, Sora had time to think coherently and realized that telling them about his dream would be unwise. He simply claimed unawareness of everything. Later he told Riku and Kairi, the former's eyes rising in suprise, before he began to ask several detailed questions. When Kairi inquired as to where these came from, Riku coughed, and said he was curious.

Through the two following weeks, Sora had been getting minimal amounts of sleep. And it gave an unreadable feeling to his two friends when they observed that Sora, the boy who slept at least eleven hours a day, all at once turned into an insomniac. Kairi used to catch him napping all the time. Now she was scolding him, telling him that he should sleep more because this was very unhealthy for him. And the result was, Sora still avoided sleep.

It was almost as if he physically couldn't stand the thought. He didn't turn to coffee (because the last time Riku had gotten him to try it, it was horrible for him) or sugar, or any sort of stimulant. He simply got on average, two hours every night, and he was on the verge of colapsing. When he inevitably did, he slept for a record breaking seven hours and twenty three minutes, tossing and turning in the thuroughs of some nightmare. But none woke him, because restless as it was, it was what he needed most.

The night after, Sora's unconcious terrors came true. He was as well rested as he could be, so he decided to watch the storm that was now terrorizing their island. Black clouds thundered, promised wrath from the heavens but did not offer rain.It was then, in her white and red coat that Kairi was seen running down the street to the docks. From there, it would be a simple matter to take a canoe to the island, where there was currently a storm.

Kairi was in danger. Sora didn't hesitate to jump out his window to the tree next to his house, climb down, and persue the girl. Moments after he was out of ear shot, his mother called him down for dinner. They didn't know that the last time he was seen on this world, was him asking to see Kairi for the night. They would never know.

The water was strangely calm, as Sora paddled his way to their favorite place. However as soon as he stepped off the boat, the wind picked up, and was blowing fiercely. Lightning rumbled in the clouds. Something terrible was going to happen. He had to grab Kairi and get the hell out of- wait, Riku came too? Indeed, it seemed he did. He stood at the edge of a small cliff overlooking the ocean, a circle of land with a short drop to water. They always used to swordfight there, but, why was Riku there, just... standing?  
"Riku! Are you insane?! We need to grab Kairi and get out of here!"  
"Oh, Sora, it's good you're here."  
"Huh?" Riku was as calm as could be as he turned slowly to face him.  
"I really wouldn't want to leave you behind. Or Kairi, you said she was here? Great, it saves us all time."  
"Riku, there is a storm! Where the heck could we possibly go from here? We need to find shelter and wait it-"  
"Sora, this is not a storm. This, is a new beginning. We will see other worlds, things that nobody has seen before. We'll see it together, won't we? You'll come?"  
"I'll go anywhere you want, but we have to get Kairi and get out of-"  
"Kairi is coming with us!" He yelled, ending Sora's talking. "We are all leaving this dying world. And we'll be happy, we will." He paused. "We are friends, right? Will you trust me?"  
"... Of course I trust you. But we aren't safe here... we need to-"  
"Yeah, we do. Take my hand Sora. We'll go together." Sora stared at Riku's out-stretched hand, unsure of what to make of everything that was happening. The things Riku was saying... but, he trusted Riku. So he took the boy's hand. Riku grinned.

Darkness pooled around the feet of the two boys, and Sora once again found himself being slowly pulled under into the cold, oily darkness. Panic overtook him, and he began to struggle. Riku held fast to Sora's hand.  
"Sora, I know you're scared, but you must accept it! Your heart _will_ survive it, I'll make sure!"  
"No! Riku, this is wrong, you have to see it! You don't know-"  
"I _do_ know Sora! I know that it's nothing to be afraid of! Conquer it!"  
"Riku, I _can't_! It just isn't right, let me go!"  
"Accept the darkness!" Riku pleaded.  
"_NO!_" A flash of light, blinding Sora as Riku let go of his hand. Still though, Sora clutched something. An unusual weight. Then his vision cleared.

Seriously, that which he now held _looked_ like some sort of weapon, but one that would be seen on children's cartoon on Saturday morning. In his fist was a black handle, with a yellow guard that was shaped like a ring, encompassing it. A silver pole, with teeth at the end, like those of a key. It had the shape of a sword, but it looked like it could cut butter only with dificulty. Now, why had this appeared?

_**Keyblade...**_

Oh, wonderful. The voice was back. The voice that brought the terrible things, and turned him into a half crazy wreck for the better part of two weeks. And it called _this_ a blade? Blades cut. He could brain something with it he supposed but...-  
"Scree!" Oh no. Oh _Gods_ no. He knew what that was. That unmistakable cry of one of the shadows, about to attack. He spun around, leading with what had been dubbed a keyblade, and sliced through one as it lept at his neck. Two more lept, and his swordarm almost moved on it's own. He knew how to fight these things, and it showed. They were cut quickly, and Sora looked around in alarm for more. Then he ran, in an aimless direction as questions assulted him, each more pressing then the last. Where did Riku go? Why were the shadows here? How the hell was he _cutting_ them with this... _toy_? And... wait, where was Kairi!? Riku said she was coming too, but then, Riku was sucked down into darkness. Kairi was in trouble!  
"Over my dead body! KAIRI! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Frantically, he searched the island, cutting through the creatures as if they weren't even there. Riku was safe it seemed, but Kairi sure was not. He had an intention, a goal. These things would not deter him.

Quickly, his search took him to a cave. A confined enterence, but he had a quick break in attacks, so it would be now, or never... He slipped inside, and there in her white coat tembled the goal he had set. But she didn't hear his cry. She instead stood, shaking, observing a robed and hooded man. His hood was not completely over his face, but yet, it was concealed as if there was a vast black space contained within. Kairi voiced a question, most likely on who he was, and why he was here. His presence sent a cold chill up Sora's spine. He answered in a chilling voice.

"I have come to see the door to this world." And that was all he offered. There was a large wooden door behind him, if one could call it that. It appeared ornate, though there was no nob or handle for it. Weren't doors suposed to be openable? Was that even a word...? Sora spoke up.  
"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"  
"One who knows nothing, can understand _nothing_." The last word was spoken harshly, as if he were a teacher telling a student that his efforts were completely futile. Sora could say nothing to this. Kairi was the same. The man, satisfied that he got his point across, it seemed, turned back to the 'door' as it was named. "Now, through here... the _heart_..." Heart, was enounciated as if he were describing something delicious. Something he hungered for. He raised a hand, obscured by his robe's sleeve, and laid it on the polished wood surface. The door screamed as it vanished, and a shockwave blew violently from it. Sora was unaffected, and stood there as Kairi was lifted off her feet and thrown backwards at him. Sora took a better stance to catch her, and braced himself. And was shocked speechless as her form passed _right through him_. He felt a burst of warmth, something wonderful, but then, when he turned to find Kairi, she had flown out the cave enterence, now considerably larger for some reason. Everything began to shake, and the man in his brown robe that hid everything he was, stepped into a dark corridor that the door had once barred. And a cave wall replaced the enterence as if it never existed. The cave began to colapse in on itself, and Sora barely managed to get outside. And there...

A gigantic shadowy titan threw it's head back and roared in triumph. It's sinister form had haunted Sora's nightmares since it had first devoured him. And now, it was devouring his home, perhaps his friends. It would not.  
'_IT WILL NOT!'_ Engraged at this creature's trespass, Sora charged into battle, fear forgotten. He would guard those close to him from this threat without hesitation. There simply was no other way.

It was such a pity that his world was devoured in the end, after a show of such bravery.


	5. Ch 3: New Surroundings

_(Everything that has a copyright, is copyrighted to their respective owners. Now, where did I put that Keyblade...?)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Three: New Surroundings

The battle was long, and hard. It should've been impossible. Really, it should've been. Even if he... beat that thing, it should've been _impossible_! He did things that he knew he couldn't, swung the odd sword with a speed he didn't have, hit the thing with strength he didn't have, it _staggered_. He fought wildly, and he should've _lost_. Why didn't he?!

Moreover, not only did he _win_, but... everything... was devoured, it was something he could feel. He had no home. It was... swallowed by the darkness. And... wait, he _knew _ it swallowed him too! He fell into that inky sea as it devoured everything he had ever known. None of it was here, so he was somewhere else. Why. Why...? _Why_?!

No logic! None! He woke up to the rough feeling of a tongue running up the side of his face, and a dog of a breed he never even _dreamed_ about ran off after two masters that disappeared around the corner. Nothing else that was swallowed was here, except for him. Why? Nobody he knew was here. Why? He had survived! Why? Why why why _WHY?!_ The same question came over and over again, and the only answer was more of that damned word. Why?! He was walking through the streets of a town where it was night. The entire place had a quaint, homey quality to it, and it would've calmed him if he wasn't battering himself with the same question. Perhaps he was subconciously aware that should he have stopped asking, he would've become morbidly aware that he was the only one left.

He noticed that while there were no people in the streets, the place was far from deserted. Families were sitting down to dinners everywhere, and he could hear the home life from here. Quiet laughs, loud ones too. The clinking of glasses and silverware as they were set and put to use. Everyone here was happy. But... if they ended up here the same way he did... how could they be?

"**...**" A noise behind him, a strange cry of some sort. He knew that cry. They were after him, everybody again, and they were going to destroy this place too. He didn't bother looking for them as he wildly looked around for something to use as a weapon when convinently-

'_Fwash_!' And in his hand, out of a burst of light appeared a weapon. The Keyblade. The thing he used to defend himself and smite that titan that invaded, though his world still broke. And then a torrent of screams erupted around him. People began running down the streets with the black creatures in hot persuit. And those creatures stopped and looked at him as they passed. He was their target. He was the target for _every single one_... The sword didn't really feel right in his hand. Somewhat awkward it was, but... it was the only difference between the him that should've died, and the him that _survived_. He had his answer. Now, as long as they were after him...  
"I'm going to make you work for your meal." A line regurgitated from a zombie movie he saw a while back but he didn't care. He sounded much more confident then he felt, but the creatures didn't seem to notice. Nor care. The front line attacked. And he couldn't help but think that he would rather they attack him, instead of those other people... was that brave? He could fight, so it made sense to defend these people. Though there wasn't a lot of active defending going on, more like 'swing at the things that think you happen to be more delicious'. And normally a defender used something that was _meant_ to cut. This was not, but it _still_ ran through these shadows like a machete and grass. And defenders were usually heroic. He sure wasn't.  
"Rah!" He yelled as he brought up the Keyblade in a wide arch up to divide a leaping shadow, only to turn in mid swing and use his momentum to bring it down on the head of one that sprung for his ankles. Another attacker met his shoe, and he leapt to avoid a third. As another attacked him from below, on a flash of inspiration, he swung down and sliced it in half. The result was a beautiful forward flip slash, followed by a slightly clumsy dismount. The black creatures stopped for a second, reason unknown. And Sora realized what he just did. Something else he was not physically capable of doing. Despite this...  
"Wow. That _was_ kinda heroic... Maybe..." Then they attacked again, overwhelming him. The only option was to run.

"Wow... there sure are a lot today. Damn heartless, why can't they just leave this place alone? I mean, they broke the worlds, _our_ worlds too, and they have to come in for the survivors?"  
"This is only another world for them. The only similarity are the inhabitants. However... they _are_ more aggressive then usual. Oh, Aerith, you're back." A woman had just walked out on the balcony where the two others were talking. She tucked one of her brown tresses behind her ear and settled the end of a strangely decorated quarterstaff against the ground. She spoke, a voice that soothed at it's sound. One new to hearing that voice would wonder if her quarterstaff was something she was holding for somebody else.  
"The people are in the shelters, and are under close guard." And she smiled. "As long as everybody else is right... I don't think we've lost anybody!" A younger girl gave a short hop down from the balcony's railing, excitedly.  
"You mean it? When they're _this_ rowdy? That's incredible!" The man in the corner however, wasn't as happy as the girl.  
"Aerith, one of the stars went out about an hour ago. Do you know of any new arrivals?" Aerith frowned.  
"No, I don't... But... an hour? Would someone be out that long after a breaking?"  
"Keep an eye out while you two clean up, to be sure. I wi- hold the phone..." Running out from under the balcony, a boy with spiky brown hair fought off heartless as they attacked and chased him. More ran out from alleyways, and spawned out of the ground around him. Pretty soon he was surounded by no less then fourteen. No more came out, thankfully. They paused, as the boy caught his breath. Looking and listening for the next attack. He took a stance with a odd looking sword.  
"Wow, he must be from that world! Man, if he survived on his own, he must really be something! But... hey, no fair, he's younger then me!"  
"Yuffie, how can you tell?" Aerith asked, looking on concernedly. That boy simply wasn't safe out there.  
"Well... just _look_ at him!"  
"If you're going to look, do it right. Aerith, if you please?"  
"Of course Leon." And Aerith concentrated, a spherical jewel in her staff shining momentarily. If you listened, you would've heard her mutter the word "_Scan..._" And a moment later, she looked up. The heartless had begun to attack one by one as if they simply couldn't help themselves anymore. The girl, Yuffie, watched as the distant Sora fended them off.  
"Huh. He's definitely not our level. Kinda rough around the edges... Aerith?"  
"That's... what? He's..."  
"What is it?"  
"He's no different from any other boy his age. No hidden power that I can find, nothing extraordanary at all. The way he was running, he must have killed several of them by now... He should have succumbed by now, nobody is that lucky." But as she said this, he had just finished them off, and began to look around wildly for more. "From what I could see, his senses were not attuned enough to detect the ones that attacked from behind, but he did anyway. Something isn't right here..."  
"I'll find out. it's a good opportunity while there's a break. Get Cid and see about the rest of the cleanup. I'll see about the boy."  
"Be safe Leon."  
"I will." Yuffie however, had other things on her mind.  
"Alright! Time to kick some ass, ninja style! Better keep up Aerith, I'll leave you behind!" Leon, seeing them off for a few seconds, reached for his belt and unsheathed his weapon. A cross between a sword, and a revolver that other people couldn't seem to accept at first glance. The last guy to see it for the first time thought it was ornamental. Fool.

Alright, he had a break. Maybe. They might be waiting for an oppritunity or something, they were tricky... wait, were they? Normally they would just scream and jump. Well... as far as he could tell, this was the first time they had actually left him alone. Did they get the message or something?  
"Hey, kid." Sora whirled around violently and prepared to strike down the next shadow, nevermind that it spoke English or, wait, they didn't. Or did they? Well, whether they did or not, this was no shadow. This, was a man. And in his hand was some sort of wonky cross between a sword and... one of those western guns... six shooter- no, a revolver. What good would that sort of thing be? Well... either way it looked a lot more effective thin _his_. Best be on guard. A man was holding a weapon, and walking towards him.  
"Who are you?" He stopped, and studied him.  
"That's my line. If you don't know who I am, you haven't been here very long."  
"What, you think you're some kind of big-shot?"  
"It's a fact kid. I kill heartless here. And, if what I just saw was any indication, you can too." Heartless? There's a word he never heard used that way.  
"Heartless? Those... shadows?" The brown haired man in front of him raised an eyebrow in responce.  
"Yes. Those are heartless. You didn't know this?"  
"Should I?" Really, should he? Come on, the first time he saw them outside a dream was... today? Maybe yesterday... how long was he out?  
"No, I don't suppose you _have_ to know... what kind of weapon is that?"  
"What, this Keyblade?" That caused him to raise his eyebrows. Well, he thought it was ridiculous too but...  
"Keyblade? _That's_ the Keyblade?"  
"Yeah? What about it?"  
"It looks like a toy."  
"S-shut up!" The man was silent. His eyes were on the sword in Sora's right hand. He... was silent for a while... "Hey, don't you have anything else to say? You're kinda creepy standing there like that."  
"You told me to shut up. Why would I be talking to you after that? Make up your mind before you speak."  
"Huh? But..."  
"Hm, well in any case, let me take a look at that Keyblade of yours." Wait, _what_? No, this was his defense. He could go find his own!  
"No way you're getting this!" He moved back into a battle stance. If this guy was going to take his sword, he was going to have to fight him for it!  
"Hey, I just want to look at it. Hand it over."  
"The heck I will! You think you're convincing saying it like that?!" He seemed to consider that.  
"...No, I suppose I should've chosen a more trustworthy phrase. Well... if I have to. Let's see what the Keyblader can do." He stepped forward in a practiced motion of footwork, and attacked. The first strike Sora could block, but then a second came too quickly and struck from an awkward angle. The Keyblade flew out of his grip. And Sora stood there completely unsure of what to do from there. The strange man walked past him, and towards the fallen sword. There was no way he could get it no- huh? _'Fwash!'_ Wait, he got it. How? In a flash of light, it disappeared and reappeared in his hand. And the man began to turn around to face him. An opening!  
"Yah!" _'Clang!'_ "Ah!" And again, he was disarmed. He picked himself off the ground, just in time to catch the Keyblade when it phased back into his hand.  
"... I see..." Was all he could say as he relaxed out of his stance. "We're getting nowhere. You know that if necessary, I can _kill_ you for that sword. Hand it over, it'll be a lot easier on the both of us if you do."  
"Uh..." And then he heard the shadow's cry again. The man's head whipped around to where the cry came from. It sounded again, closer.  
"Argh, we don't have _time_ for this... Give it to me."  
"Hey, they're coming! You've got your own weapon! If you want a Keyblade too, get your own!"  
"Fine. If you want it rough, be my guest." His eyes narrowed, as he concentrated. He uttered a word with a lot of power behind it. A word of command. _'Stop...'_ And he disappeared from Sora's view. In the same instant, the weight of several blows was felt all at once. The wind was knocked out of him, he flew backwards from three hammering attacks to his head, and body. He was unconscious before he hit the ground. The man turned, assured that the boy would not stir, only to discover that there were no heartless dashing out of the darkness to feast. Instead, there was something almost as bad.  
"Hi Leon! Hey, how'd it g- oh! What did you _do_ to him!?"  
"What was unnecessary. At least, I _thought_ it was unnecessary."  
"Come on, you need to hold back for a kid like him!" Leon scoffed.  
"Yuffie, if I held back for that purpose, I would have to hold back for you too."  
"Hey! I am _not_ a kid! I'm the great ninja Yu-"  
"Fine, whatever you need to tell yourself. Grab that sword. I'll carry him." She puffed up in indignation, but obeyed. Leon gathered the boy up carefully, perhaps in some sort of apology for the beating. He sighed. When this kid woke up, he was going to have a _lot_ of questions.  
"Hey, you didn't appologize! Bastard, I'll put a shuriken so far up your ass you'll be spitting sharp things for a week!" Leon sighed again.


	6. Ch 4: Spinning Down a Drain

_(Everything that has a copyright, is copyrighted to their respective owners. Now, time to go hunting Bigfoot. If the photos are accurate, he should appear like a big brownish blur...)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Four: Spinning Down a Drain

His head hurt when he awoke, and his body, and his arms, and... there were few things that _didn't_ hurt. Those that didn't he was eternaly grateful for. At least that bastard had a sense of mercy, if that was the case... Well, normally he would spring back up and demand a rematch, but... Sora didn't know what the heck that guy did. He might do it again, if he was in the room. And, he might've found a way to take away the Keyblade. For good. He didn't know how long he was out. In fact... he _still_ might've been half way out. Thoughts were hard to gather. He opened his eyes, if he woke up it would be easier to find a way out he supposed... He groaned despite himself.  
"Ugh..."  
"Hey, Leon! He's coming around!" Hurried footsteps quickly made their way to his bedside, and Sora jumped backwards into a corner, still trying to clear his vision. He could see a blurry blob that _might_ have been a person, but he couldn't be sure. Well... it was moving so... THREAT!  
"Stay back!" He whipped a hand forward, and as if it were a practiced motion, the Keyblade flashed into his hand, and was leveled a mere two centimeters from the intruder's face.  
"Hey, where do you think you're pointing that thing?!" Sora shook the cobwebs out of his vision, and saw exactly where he was pointing it. A girl, probably a little older then him. She called somebody, he remembered... maybe Leon was that man...  
"I'm pointing it at your head."  
"Eh?" Yeah, now was a good time to get some answers.  
"You asked. Now, where am I?"  
"... Should I be scared of you?" She had an eyebrow raised. And she had a Keyblade pointed at her face. Honestly, this blatent disregard of Sora kinda made him angry.  
"...I've got a weapon pointed at your head."  
"It looks like a _toy_." Oh, that explained it.  
"I thought it did too. Before I cut a heartless clear in half with it. It's a lot sharper then it looks I guess." That made her look again.  
"Where am I?" Sora asked again, thrusting the sword a little closer.  
"Maybe if you moved the toy out of my face..."  
"Do I look stupid?"  
"To me? Yes you do." That voice was considerably deeper the the girl's.  
"Ah! Leon, make him put it away!"  
"If he doesn't, I'll have to." The air got a little thicker. This man, Leon, was seriously ready to disappear again, like he did before. Sora slowly lowered the Keyblade, and shuffled back further from the girl. Leon sighed. "Yuffie, what did you do this time?"  
"I didn't do anything! I went to see if he was really waking up and then I had a sword at my face! ...If you can even _call_ that thing a sword..."  
"It's far sharper then your shuriken. Any of them." Leon said, not taking his eyes off of Sora. Yuffie blanched.  
"What?! Impossible!"  
"It's quite possible. If the kid had the nerve, you would be in pieces and he would have escaped." He ignored Yuffie looking back and forth from the Keyblade to Sora frantically, and continued. "And I believe she wanted you to put it away. I do too. Why haven't you?"  
"What do you mean 'put it away'?" He didn't have a sheath for it or anything... what was he expecting? Leon's eyes narrowed.  
"An eye witness said you seemed to take it out of thin air. Put it back then." Ooh, that was it. Wait...  
"How?"  
"...Excuse me?"  
"How do I put it away?" Yuffie looked at him in a way that made him feel like an idiot. Leon studied him a little closer.  
"...You're the Keyblader, but you don't know how to put it back?"  
"He's the WHAT?! That was the Keyblade?! What the hell is it doing with a squirt like THIS?!"  
"What the hell is all that materia doing with a squirt like _you_?" Leon countered. Yuffie flared up with what could only be indignation.  
"Squirt? _Squirt_?! I'm a flaming _ninja_!"  
"You're sixteen. You, how old are you?"  
"Uh... fourteen?"  
"When's your birthday?" What was this about? This had nothing to do with _anything_.  
"Fourth of April. What the heck does that have to do with anything?"  
"Well your birthday's a while off, but you're still right around her age. So, if you're a squirt... then so is _she_." If Yuffie were capable of shooting lazerbeams out of her eyes, she probably would've done so. With her wild gestures, such eye-beams wouldn't look too out of place either.  
"_Araaaaaagh_! Fine, have it _your_ way! But know this..." She stomped up to the stoic man and stuck a finger in his face. The comical difference in size reminded Sora of a cartoon. "The great ninja Yuffie does _not_ forget such an outrage! You will _rue_ the day..."  
"If you're quite finished quoting old movie lines..."  
"I'm gonna _DESTROY you_!" And with that, instead of destroying 'poor Leon', she turned on her heel like some girls do and promptly stormed out muttering quite a lot of colorful threats under her breath. The ones Sora heard caused him to blush. She was _creative_... to say the least... A pause followed. Then-  
"I know your birthday and age now. I should've asked your name first."  
"Ah... My name's Sora."  
"Well... Sora, why haven't you dropped the Keyblade yet?"  
"Oh! Uh... wait, why the heck should I drop it?! You're dangerous!" He chuckled. "What's so funny?!"  
"Mm. It's just nice somebody respects me around here. Seriously, heartless are attracted to it. It'd be better if you could put it away, but it should be better if it's out of your hand." Sora dropped it like it burned him. "I believe you know my name by now. Even so, I'll introduce myself. My name is Leon. I would rather not be an enemy to you."  
"...You should've thought of that _before_ you gave me the beating of my life."  
"I did. Then you didn't listen. The beating was unnecessary, or they would've kept coming, and the people would be in danger."  
"Ooh..." Leon sighed.  
"Now that we have that out of the way... Sora, what are you last memories before appearing here?"  
"Appearing... how would I just appear?" Leon's facial expression didn't change in the slightest. Sora wondered if he had this conversation often.  
"If you would rather a different choice of words, what are your memories before... waking up somewhere in town?"  
"That sounds more like me." Sora nodded.  
"Then, if you'd please..."  
"Oh, well..." Everything that happened was a blur, but there were things that he remembered. He wondered if these things were alright to just be told. He looked up again at Leon. The man met his gaze with nothing but attention. He wouldn't disregard anything. "Is there anything specific that you... are looking for, or what?"  
"It would be better if I knew, so I could have a perspective of your situation. It might also explain your Keyblade. Please, anything you can tell me. Everything." Well...  
"Well when you put it that way... I suppose... the first time I saw heartless was in a dream..."

"...And then after that flash of light died down, I was holding the Keyblade. Right then, I heard the word 'Keyblade' in my head, like that voice from the dream. Oh, just making sure, I'm not crazy because I was hearing voices?"  
"No."  
"Oh, good. So... I started fighting my way through heartless, looking for Kairi... Riku said that Kairi was coming with us, so... I figured she might still be somewhere. And there were heartless running around... I don't know what it is they do, but it's..."  
"They steal your heart." Wait, what?  
"They were stealing... my heart?" No, that's impossible. there would be more blood if it actually grabbed his heart. And more pain, _real_ pain. That pain was completely different. "Wait, if it-"  
"Before we continue, I am not talking about the muscle under your left shoulder that pumps blood throughout your body. That is a mistake too often made." Alright, so he had two hearts? "And no, you don't have _two_ hearts. The heart I'm talking about is something entirely different." Oh, thanks Leon, for explaining that. Now, only question is...  
"Well... _what_ kind of heart are you talking about?"  
"... The heartless have none of these 'hearts'. They're spectres, like ghosts, wraiths, whatever word you would choose. Except... they can affect the physical world quite well." Sora took this in patiently. He was beating around the bush purposely. Answering more questions that he might've had later. "They rest and gather in what can only be called darkness. And... darkness, cliche as it might sound, is bad intentions, personal sin, greed and evil.

"The heartless have no hearts, hense the name I would suppose... For some reason however, they devour hearts. They smell them, and seek them out with an unquenchable thirst and an unimaginable hunger. They are an embodiment of darkness, a carnal beast bent only on personal satisfaction. And as far as we've seen, the heartless never are satisfied.

"To embrace darkness is comparable to giving into that little devil that people believe rests on their shoulder opposite an angel. It promices great power, but then... normally you will succum and devour your own heart. Embracing darkness will make you formidible, but it will poison your body and mind until you are driven mad, and after that, it's a matter of minutes, sometimes hours, before you become one of the heartless yourself.

"People can resist the pull of darkness, because of that which the heartless hunt. A spiritual core that exists in all people, living things, everything that is animate and not a heartless. Your feelings, happy and sad, your loyaltys, your bonds, your personality, is all locked away and wrapped in what is also a cliche, light. It just so happens, that such a core is in the shape of a heart, hense _that_ name." And Leon chose then to sigh. "So whenever you hear heart, they are never talking about your blood pump. Now, back to the conversation.

"Now, the light surrounding the heart is the polar opposite of darkness, and the sheer amount of light depends greatly on the person. Their inner strength and ideals. This gives them a possible innate resistance to darkness and most things related to it. However, there is nothing stopping a heartless from reaching in, snuffing out the light, and eating your heart. Defend yourself, and others. When your heart if gone... of course, you're heartless. And that is exactly what you will become." Leon paused, and Sora gratefully took this opportunity to take everything in. It was a lot of information, and he didn't have a lot of questions left. "Now that I've explained all of that... I believe you were telling me a story?"  
"Ah, yeah... Well, after that, I was looking around, and I wandered into a cave when the heartless died down for some reason. And Kairi was there. And... someone else..."  
"Who? Do you know?"  
"No, I didn't know that man. I... couldn't make anything out. His face was hidden by a hood. He wore a brown robe that hid everything. And... this might be important."  
"Mm?" An eyebrow raised, but he still took Sora seriously. He was grateful, and continued.  
"There was a door behind him, at least... he said it was a door... One that was never there before... he mentioned a heart through it. Then... he opened it, and... it screamed..."  
"Screamed you say? And this 'door', what did it look like?"  
"Huh? Kinda ordinary, really. Wood with a golden lining. No doornob, or any hinges, so... wasn't much of a door. And... hey, Leon, he mentioned a heart... was that the heart of the island? I know it's not an animate object but..."  
"Hm... it's a little more important then that." He closed his eyes. "Sora, that door lead to the heart of the world. That man might've been a greater heartless. Or one who controls them."  
"...The... the world?"  
"Yes, the heart of your world. Once that was devoured, the world and everyone on it fell into darkness. Think of it like spinning down a drain. Once a world is destroyed, those beings that survive slip down strange fisures in space. A strong heart will grab another world on the way down, and thus the being will survive. The rest fall into darkness... and they become heartless."  
"..." Silence.  
"Because our world is supposedly near the end of a large number of these so called fissures, before the drop into darkness, it's a point that nearly all people pass by. As thus... this world is made up almost entirely of homeless. Survivors of worlds that have been broken. Sora, you have my condolences. And despite my offering them to everybody I have told this too, I remain as sincere as I was the first time I had to give somebody this news." This was not a lie. Meeting his eyes for a moment, Sora could tell. This world was filled with kindred spirits, including this man. Those who suffered the exact same thing he had. Only... they had time by now to accept their situation. And Sora had just now discovered that absolutely everything he had ever known, his home, his parents, his friends, places where he had made fond memories, all were gone. Suffering a fate he knew was worse then death. He needed time alone to mourn and greive, and Leon knew this. Everybody needed such time. So, he stood quietly and left. The only noise he made was a light clicking of the door as it closed. He turned to look down the hall, and was greeted by Aerith. She smiled softly in greeting, but frowned soon after, reading the look on Leon's face, and his actions perfectly. He had told the boy everything, and it saddened her. She so wanted to see what his smile was like before it became scarse for a while...

Sora was permitted to stay in the room for as long as he wanted. He had sense, because he didn't leave the meals that they had given him. And it appeared that he was getting minimal sleep. So far, he probably spent his time in deep sorrowful thought. From what they could see when they brought him his meals, he made good use of the desk and chair, and the bed. The bookshelf remained undisturbed. Through all of this, he said not a word. He didn't thank them for the meals, didn't even acknowledge their existence. Either Aerith or Leon would walk into the room, leave a meal, and then leave. Not slowly as to intrude, and not quickly as to rush away from the boy. Sora, though he didn't seem to recognize them, was thankful that the way they acted implied they knew he needed space. However, he did not thank them for this either. He sat in the chair, or lay in the bed, and said nothing, looked at nothing, and only made noise with his breathing. And this continued for three days, after which it ended rather abruptly. Aerith was walking toward what was now designated as Sora's room to collect the dishes from dinner. Right when she reached for the doorknob however, the door swung open and there was Sora holding the tray she was after. He looked up at her for what was the first time ever, and he lightly blushed. Shyly he asked:  
"Uh... do you know if there's a place I could take a bath...?" She looked him over, and noticed that the blue shorts and white shirt he was wearing were simply filthy. As he was as well. Well, one couldn't fight heartless without working up a sweat. And then he hadn't cleaned himself at all for days...  
"Of course. Follow me."

And after he washed himself _twice_, and brushed his teeth four or five times, he forgot how many times exactly, he felt good enough to step out of the rather spacious bathroom into the hall, wearing the change of clothes he was given. How wearing black jeans and a dark blue turtleneck, he shook a few droplets of water out of his drooping spikes of hair, and tried to find where the living room, or something was... some place with people. There were a lot of things he needed to thank them for after all. Especially Leon, and that one woman in the pink. He never did get her name...  
"Hey, you finally left that room, huh?" He turned to see that one girl who he threatened that one day. Problem was, he forgot her name.  
"Yeah, I guess..."  
"What do you mean you guess? If you're standing here, then of course you left!"  
"...Well, if it's obvious... why did you ask me?" Sora tilted his head to the side in confusion. Yuffie would never tell him that it made him look inexplainably cute. Boys were not suposed to be cute after all.  
"Not important. What is important is, you look lost. What sort of self respecting ninja would leave somebody alone when they look so lost?"  
"You're a ninja?"  
"Well of _course_ I'm a ninja. The very idea that I'm not is preposterous."  
"Well... you don't _look_ like a ninja." And certainly she didn't. Yellow shorts and a green tank top certainly didn't scream 'shadowy assassin.' Yuffie's eye twitched at the comment. She crouched low to the ground, and jumped, twisting in the air. By the time Sora's gaze followed her, she was crouched again, _on the ceiling_. A flick of her wrists, and there were several sharp implements in either hand.  
"Tell me kid... _do I look like a ninja now?!_" To answer wrong would mean death. And not only would that hurt very much, but these weren't his clothes, so it wouldn't do to have them cut up and bloody. That... and she really did look like a deadly ninja hugging the ceiling with all those shuriken and kunai...  
"Yeah, you really do! That's _awesome_!" Really it was. It was undeniably cool to him. With the sound of metal sliding against metal, the weapons disappeared from her hands, and she dropped to the floor, twisting gracefully into a perfect dismount. She wore a cheery grin as she straightened up.  
"And don't you forget it! The great ninja Yuffie doesn't forgive insolence twice!"  
"The great ninja Yuffie should also refrain from adopting the habit of talking about herself in the third person." A rather cynical comment from around a corner. And Sora was happy to find that it belonged to Leon. "And you shouldn't call him 'kid' either. He's not that much younger then you."  
"Well, what else do I call him? You never gave me his name!"  
"It isn't mine to give. If he'd like to introduce himself, he can."  
"Oh? Hey, you! Give me your name!" Wow, she seemed pretty serious. Or curious. She seemed like the kind of person to be bothered by the mystery of Sora's name for the entire three days.  
"Oh... sorry... I guess I should tell you my name since I know yours. My name's Sora."  
"Huh? Oh, that's pretty cool!" Huh? What was so cool about his name...?  
"Why's that? It's only my name..."  
"Not your name, but what it means. Sora means 'sky'. At least... it does where I come from." Wow... he never knew his name had any sort of meaning. Well... as far as meaning went, there was a lot worse meaning to end up with. "But it's a nice name, even if it didn't mean anything."  
"...Thanks..." Her eyes widened a bit on some sort of wonder after Sora thanked her.  
"Wow... you're really shy, aren't you?"  
"Yuffie, if you attempt to 'cure his shyness' like you did with the last person you tried to help, I swear, no chocolate for a week." Leon threatened in a deadpan voice.  
"Aw! Come on! I won't be so hard on it this time around!"  
"_No_ Yuffie." Leon's stance and voice were final. There was no arguement.  
"But... but... hey, wait a minute, since when do you get to ground me off of things?!"  
"Sora, was there anything you wanted to talk about, now that you're ready?"  
"Don't ignore me, or I _swear_-"  
"Uh, yeah, there was."  
"-you'll be picking shuriken-"  
"Well then, if you'd like to follow me to the lounge, we can sit and talk in comfort. Do you like tea?"  
"-out of your ass for a _week_, make no mistake-"  
"I've never really tried tea before. Once when I was little, but I don't even remember..."  
"_Leon you bastard, I'll DESTROY you!_"  
"I'm sure we can find something you'll enjoy." And they were already out of sight. Yuffie once again considered dying Leon's underwear pink.  
"He sure wouldn't ignore me _then_... oh Leon, you are going to hate me after this..."

And so, while very much enjoying an apple cinnimon tea, Sora tried to find questions to ask. He had one, now that he thought about it...  
"Hey, Leon?"  
"Hm?" He looked up from his teacup and regarded Sora.  
"Uh... you mentioned that a strong heart 'grabs' a world on the way down... how do you measure how strong a heart is?" Leon set down his cup, and leaned back in the comfy chair he was relaxing in.  
"We can't. Right now, we have no idea how to accurately measure the strength of a person's heart. Of anything's heart really... There's a theory that over time, the memories and happiness, bravery, sincerity, any sort of positive feeling that rests in the heart overflows eventually and becomes part of the light that wraps around the heart. This suposedly makes it stronger."  
"Huh... now that you mention it, that really _does_ sound cliche. LIke a children's cartoon or something."  
"Welcome to Traverse Town. We have a lot of cliche here. Oh, it's also said that going through harsh ordeals for good reasons and goals ends up strengthing the heart. That's why heroes often survive the breaking of their worlds. On most worlds aware of the heartless, there's at least one of these people to protect wherever area they fall into. Aerith, Yuffie and a few others who landed here are such people."  
"Yuffie's a hero?" Kind of unusual  
"It goes to her head every time she hears it, but yes, she is." Huh, well that was something to think about. Wow though, they were all heroes! That was really...  
unreal...  
"Hey, does that mean you're a hero too?"  
"... I've seen much hardship... but I would not call myself a hero. Not everybody who survives has to have such a title."  
"Oh... hey, I've got another question." His eyebrows raised. He could tell this wasn't something serious Sora was about to ask.  
"And that is...?"  
"Well... this is a pretty big place you have here. You'd have to make a lot of money."  
"Mm."  
"Do you get paid to fight heartless?"  
"No." Huh? Wait, did that mean they were all freeloading? That didn't make a lot of sense, if they were living in a place like this. "We make a living. We just happen to have special permission to halt everything to defend the people."  
"Oh..."  
"Was there any particular reason you asked?"  
"Well... I've gotta find a place to live now, and if you got paid fighting heartless, I thought I could..."  
"You thought you could get by doing the same thing?"  
"Well... yeah, actually." Leon leaned forward, and made eye contact. His gaze seemed to be searching Sora's soul.  
"You, from what I've seen, have nothing resembeling real battle experience. You've only had to defend your life very few times. You are nowhere near our level. You should reconsider, since you wouldn't recieve any payment."  
"...I wouldn't be doing it for the payment." Leon's eyebrows raised what might've been a quarter of a centimeter. His face remained otherwise, unchanged.  
"Explain."  
"Well... the people can't defend themselves, right?"  
"Right."  
"Well, I can certainly defend myself. And if there was somebody who needed protecting, I would do that too. I'd protect anyone here."  
"Are you trying to be a hero?"  
"... The only reason I asked if I could get paid for it, was because I was wondering if I would have to find a job on top of it. If heartless showed up... I don't want this world to break too. I won't let it happen." A show of bravado. And Leon could tell that was how Sora really felt.  
"Even knowing we can do very well on our own?"  
"Well, heroes aren't exactly common. And I don't suppose there are very many people besides them, right? I mean... I'm certainly not a hero, and if you aren't... well... altogether, there can't be a lot of people to fight... you could use me. I mean... you said the heartless are drawn to the Keyblade, right?"  
"Yes, I did."  
"Well, I could help a lot then! If the heartless showed up, I whip it out, and then they'd all come for me! It'd be more likely that people would survive the attacks... if that's the way it is."

"A-and... well, there can't be a lot of you able to fight... I _could_ help..."  
"...Yes, I'm betting you could."  
"Buh?" He had not expected it to be that easy. Leon looked like he was about to tell him all about how he was too inexperienced, and weak, and not perfect like him, or something like that...  
"Well, now that you're helping us defend the town... Sora, from now on, that room you were staying in is yours. You'll be splitting the bills with us, and food. We'll work on finding you a job in the morning. Now, it's seven fourty-five according to the clock. Would you lend me a couple hours before bed?"  
"Uh... for what?"  
"I'm going to begin teaching you how to use a sword. Properly." Leon smiled. It was proabably a rare thing, given his general attitude. "We won't have dead weight on our team. Yuffie would never let either of us hear the end of it. Come along, I'll show you to the training room." All Sora could do was dumbly follow his new teacher. Things had changed pace awful fast all of the sudden, and now he was about to fight a master swordsman again. He hoped he wouldn't end up with bruises again...


	7. Ch 5: Real Men Wear Pink

_(Everything that has a copyright is copyrighted to their respective owners. Now, to turn a live Sora into the most realistic plushie imaginable... I know ONE girl who's going to be VERY happy to receive it.)_

Oathkeeper: Chapter Five

Real Men Wear Pink

"So... you said something about getting a job?" Sora inquired. Leon looked up from the book he was reading. He was currently, comfortably seated in the lounge. For some reason, though the clock told him it was midday, the windows told him that he may have slept through to the following night. Very curious, though that wasn't a way Sora would describe it. His exact thoughts were more along the lines of; _'Well THAT'S freaken wierd...'_  
"Hm? Yes, I did. Actually... I believe we already may have a job for you."  
"What, already?" Just like that? Wasn't there normally something like an interview, or a resume, or... something like that?  
"Perhaps. It depends on whether or not she likes you. Then again... she likes everybody so, prospects are good."  
"Who?"  
"Oh, you've seen her, though I doubt you've been properly introduced. She's working at the moment, but, for a new employee she should be able to spare a few moments." Someone he's seen? Who could it possibly be, out here in the middle of the universe's nowhere? He hadn't had a lot of expousure as of yet, to any people. Just Leon, Yuffie... and... wait, there was somebody.  
"Uh... is it that lady who was wearing the pink dress?"  
"It is. You'll be better acquainted with her soon."  
"...How do you know I have the job? Have you talked to her?" Sora asked as Leon stood up, placing a bookmark in his novel, before snapping it closed and setting it on the table  
"No, as a matter of fact, I haven't. However, I'm sure she won't be saying no to you. And even if she does, we could probably throw you to Cid, or I could teach yo-"  
"No! If Cid gets a hold of him, I'll lose my side-kick forever!" Sora looked up to see Yuffie standing upsidedown on the ceiling at the front door. The window was open, while the door was not. Leon sighed in exasperation.  
"Yuffie, use the door. It's right there, and I'm sure you know how to use it. If not, I would be glad to show you now, if it would stop my having to clean footprints off the ceiling. Please, for what may be the hundredth time."  
"Oh Leon, you would understand better if you were a ninja. Doors are for suckers." She laughed haughtily to herself, as if she were a noblewoman correcting a sorely mistaken peer. Given what little Sora gathered about the ninja, that may have been exactly what was running through her head at that moment.  
"Well then, I'll be sure to tell Aerith and Cid that they're both suckers. And I'll expect whatever marks you leave, gone by the time I return. Good day Yuffie. Sora, come along please."  
"Ooh! Leon! Please don't tell Aerith that! She'll be so sad!"  
"Well then, it would be very nice if the ceilings were clean. Very nice indeed." And he set off down the street, Sora in tow. He thought it would be best to stay silent at that point. Yuffie watched them go, and then took a bottle of pink dye out of a pouch on her belt as she walked upside-down along the hall towards where she knew Leon's room was.  
"Well well Leon, your underwear drawer is so dreary... something simply _must_ be done, before you bring a lady home and embarrass yourself. Oh don't worry! Yuffie's here to make it ALL better!" Her maniacal laughter echoed far, and though he couldn't hear it, Leon got a sense of someone walking on his grave. Though he wasn't a religious man, he hoped to the gods it was merely his imagination.

"Uh... Leon?"  
"What is it?" Leon looked down at Sora, who was walking beside him down the well lit streets. They had to be well it, as that night sky was strangely... still there, and not waiting for night to come out again. Yeah, something like that.  
"... There's a _sun_ here, isn't there?"  
"Huh... I actually expected that particular question sooner."  
"So..."  
"No, as long as I can remember, here on this world, there hasn't been a sunny day ever."  
"...That is freaken weird."  
"...Indeed..." A moment of silence. Then another question popped into his head.  
"Hey, what _do_ you do?"  
"... What do you mean?"  
"For a job? You don't kill heartless so..."  
"I'm a carpenter."  
"Oh... What abou-"  
"Yuffie is a courier. A delivery girl." Huh, it was kind of hard imagining her doing any job as casual as that.  
"Huh. does she get a lot of buisness?"  
"She does indeed. You would be supprised just how much time gets shaved off a delivery when your courier can jump rooftops." Huh. It was suddenly easier to picture. Strange.  
"You must get a lot of business too."  
"How so?"  
"Well... you kill heartless. And you kinda let on that you were famous..."  
"Hm... yes, it does help my buisness some. Still... I would much rather not be famous."  
"Why is that?"  
"Normally it would be quite bearable, if it didn't leave me so busy." Ouch. No free time had to suck for him. He looked quite content reading that book too.  
"Huh... is it like that where we're going?"  
"Even if we weren't famous, I don't doubt the buisness would be quite sucessful. The food and atmosphere are wonderful."  
"Oh... wait, does that mean we're going to a restaurant?"  
"You're half right." Leon said cryptically as he rounded a corner. "We're here." Though he didn't point, he made a b-line towards what looked like a restaurant. A sign told Sora the place was called 'Seventh Heaven.' As they walked inside, he could see that the place was not quite a restaurant, but a bar. A lively one, with a positive air. They were seated by a waitress, who was stereotypically pretty. She seemed to be smiling quite a lot at Sora, who in responce, shrunk back into his chair and tried quite hard to turn invisible.  
"My usual, please. And for you...?" Unfortunately, Sora was unable to answer, instead choosing to inch away from the waitress who wouldn't stop paying... so much... attention to him, the way she was... "Ah, it seems he's mute at the moment. Special for him."  
"And what would you like to drink...?" She asked Sora. Her tone had enough sugar to rot the teeth out of his head. He still didn't know what to do about it.  
"Surprise him. No alcohol."  
"I can't serve to him anyway, why would you bother telling me that?"  
"Making sure alcohol isn't the surprise. Oh, and if you could ask Aerith to come out? I'd like a word with her."  
"Of course!" And with a wink at Sora, she bounced off to the back. Leon looked to Sora.  
"You are going to have to get used to that, I'm afraid. They're all quite... overbearing. If you aren't careful, they're going to treat you like a toy."  
"... Why...?"  
"Well... I can just barely make out her talking to the staff in back. Aparently you're simply adorable. My condolences." Leon offered said condolences as if he was telling Sora he had some form of cancer. Sora swallowed rather nervously. He relaxed soon though, the atmosphere of the bar getting to him. Food was served, and they were informed that Aerith would be out to see them soon. Sora struck up a conversation as they waited.  
"Leon, what do you think Yuffie's doing right now?"

"Mmmmm, so much pink. Don't worry Leon, now your underwear drawer is beautiful! Oh, you'll thank me! HAH!"

"Hopefully, washing the ceiling." Leon said, as he took a drink from his obviously alcoholic beverage.

"Say, they could be MUCH more beautiful then this! Why, if I sewed on just a bit of lace here and there..."

Leon shuddered.  
"What was that about?" Sora asked.  
"...She's probably not washing the ceiling..."  
"...Okay... hey, is that her?" Sora pointed towards a woman making her way to their table. Long brown hair tied back in a braid, and a pink dress her only defining features from the distance.  
"Yes, it's her." And she smiled in recognition upon spotting them. And once again, a light flush adorned Sora's cheeks. As she greeted Leon, he noticed an air about her that was subtly different then the other women in the room. Something calm, comforting. It didn't help matters that he found her exceptionally beautiful. He must have not been paying any attention at all the first time he spoke to her.  
"So, what was it exactly that you wanted to see me about?" Leon in response, indicated Sora with a tilt of his head.  
"Sora needs a job. And I remember you saying that you were shorthanded once. Do you think he would be acceptable?"  
"Of course he would. Though... if he worked here, he may be a bit of a... distraction..." Wait, who the heck would he distract?  
"Uh... who would I be holding back?"  
"Simply... the entire female staff."  
"Buh?"  
"Well... as I was coming out, I could see every waitress we had on duty giggling and gossiping about an adorable boy with the cutest reactions any of them had ever seen. If you worked here, you would be subjected to things that, if those reactions are as unbearably precious as they say... would be for you, nothing short of the most heart stopping torture. Sora, knowing this, will you refuse the position I have in mind for you?" Her expression turned serious. She seriously looked like she was about to send Sora into a war, behind enemy lines to look for some secret document or free some prisoners, or lead a revolution! What kind of pressure was she trying to-  
"Sora, calm down. Aerith is having fun with you."  
"O-oh... Uh... Yeah, I'd do anything you asked me to do!"  
"Oh really? _Anything_...?"  
"...Uh... Ah... I, well..."  
"Aerith, you're dispicable." The woman, under the accusation, laughed.  
"Mm... even if I am, we now have Sora. Oh, that waitress was right, he's just priceless! No changing your mind now Sora." Sora couldn't help but feel as if he had just sold his soul. The rest of the meal was uneventful, but pleasent. Aerith didn't poke any more fun at Sora, and she and Leon conversed like old friends. Which... they were. Sora just stayed quiet and answered when spoken to. He didn't feel quite like he fit just yet...  
"Oh, Aerith, I don't suppose you could influence Yuffie to stop walking on our ceiling? It really is getting old."  
"Mm... I'll see what I can do. Perhaps if I start cleaning off her footprints she'll stop?"  
"Well... hopefully she'll stop on her own. I've told her to clean off her footprints while we were gone."

"Dreary, boring, dull, ordinary- hold on... Oh... O-oh my... T-that certainly isn't boring at all... Mmm..."

"At least I hope she is." Sora then, for the first time, pipped up of his own accord.  
"Uh... Leon, when we were leaving, I thought I heard her laughing... " Leon sharply turned to Sora.  
"What sort of laughing?"  
"Mad scientist."  
"And, that's our cue to go. I shudder to think what she's done _this_ time."

"Oh... gods... Leon, you really hid _these _well... and... Oh, Leon! Such..."

"Good day Aerith. Please make sure those waitress' show _some restraint_. Having Sora coming home every night as a quivering wreck is something I would rather not witness. The boy needs _some_ pride."  
"I make no promices Leon." And her mischevious smirk was replaced by a warm smile. "Be safe, both of you."  
"You too."  
"Bye!"

"Yuffie, we're home. And... there are still footprints on the ceiling. Predictable, and yet still so disapointing."  
"Heya Sora! How'd it go?" Yuffie came bouncing around the corner, looking like she had just got over a fit of giggles. Leon looked at her sternly.  
"Before that, Yuffie, you were supposed to clean your footprints. What were you doing that prevented you from getting that done?" Turning to Leon, her mood seemed to swing in a rather random direction, even for the rambunctious ninja. She went from on the verge of laughing to a rather interesting shade of red.  
"N-nothing! I wasn't doing anything with your- nothing of yours! At all! Uh... I'm going to clean the ceiling now!" And she vanished with a puff of smoke, presumably to get cleaning supplies. Sora was confused. Not as much as Leon though.  
"... She has never been this... _compliant_ before... What happened while we were out?"  
"Uh... well, maybe it had something to do with you?"  
"Hm... she reacted that way to me, but why like that...? Nevermind, I'll think about this later. Maybe I don't even want to know. Sora, do you feel up to additional training? We have the rest of today to ourselves."  
"Uh... sure! What are we going to work on today?"  
"Well, the large swings you make with your sword are somewhat impractical if they are done as often as you use them. You need to work at making yourself less predictable. We'll work on improving your footwork later on, if we have time..."

"Sora, I left water in plain sight on the counter. Would you mind getting it for us?"  
"Oh, yeah, sure!" And after a good two hours of beatings, Sora left the room for their break. As he passed the main hallway, he looked and saw Yuffie still on the ceiling, wearing slippers so no new prints would replace the ones she was cleaning. Oddly enough, she seemed to be muttering something under her breath as she did it, but it wasn't all that malicious. She was still rather red though. Maybe she was running a fever? Nah... Sora turned and walked into the kitchen, and- wait, who the hell was that?

Standing in the kitchen, pouring down his throat one of the waterbottles set out was a man Sora wasn't familiar with. Interesting enough, his chugging did nothing to disturb the cigerette in his mouth. Years of practice? Either way, the bottle was slammed down, empty, and the invader drew an arm across his mouth to dry it. A content grunt, and his eyes opened to notice Sora.  
"Eh? Who the hell are you?"  
"Um... who are you?"  
"Doesn't matter who I am, you're waltzin' around this place like you own it. What's your buisness here?"  
"Uh... I live here...?" His eyebrow raised. However, he was plainly not amused, or even satisfied by Sora's answer. This became evident when he reached out, and grabbed a staff that was leaning against the wall.  
"That's bull. If you lived here, I'd know. You're trespassing." The staff had a blade on the end, Sora noticed now. And it was now leveled at his head. With the lance in one hand, and another aiding a long drag from his cigerette, he gave off the impression of a veteren fighter. The same air that surounded Leon. However it was plain, by the relaxed demeanor the man had, to see that he didn't deem Sora any sort of threat at all. "Now, you get a beating, and then I'm going to throw you out on your ass."  
"No, wait, I really do live here! Just ask-"

"I don't like liars. You can piss off!" The man wasn't going to listen it looked like. Especially when he leapt forward, lance over his head to be brought down. Leon used this form of attack a few times in practice. However, Sora had a sword in his hand whenever he was able to counter, and now he was unar- _FWASH_ – Oh, not anymore. Barely managing to block the swing, Sora jumped back, adrenelin pumping through his system, and fighting techniques he knew loosely from Leon's tutalage running thorugh his mind. He didn't know what tutalage meant though, but that word's meaning wasn't half as important then the followup swing aimed at his side! _'Clang!_ "Eh?! Where the bloody hell did you grab that sword from?!" Another attack at his ankles. Sora jumped over it, and whipped the Keyblade out at the man's neck. Blocked, easily. And before Sora knew what had happened, he took the butt of the lance in his stomach, and again to the back of his head. His vision went dark as the Keyblade fell from his hand.

"Huh. Kid's not bad." But, he was a few years too early to be taking anyone on, that was for sure. Maybe heartless... "Well, you picked the wrong house to break into." The man grabbed the unknown boy and shouldered him. Picking up his spear in his other hand, he adjusted the boy's weight, and strode down the hall, fully intent on throwing the intruder out onto the sidewalk. Still, wherever that sword came from bothered him. The kid was unarmed one second, and defending himself the next. "Fukkin' tricks... bad enough Yuffie's hiding a hundered sha... sho... throwing stars. The hell was he thinking, trying to hit me with a toy?"  
"Hit you with a what? Wait, what's Sora doing on your back?"  
"Yuffie? Wait, you know this bastard?"  
"You don't?! What did you do Cid?!" Yuffie was angry. Feh, girl had a temper like a bomb. Only thing it seemed good for was exploding. This was nothing new.  
"He was walkin' around like he lived here. He even said he did. I'm throwin' his ass out."  
"Cid, you put him down this instant! He _does_ live here!"  
"...The hell?" Nevertheless, Cid slowly lowered Sora's prone body to the ground. Yuffie sat him up with a hand on the back of his head, trying to revive him. Then she felt the lump forming from where Cid had struck him.  
"_CID! I'll never forgive you for this!_"  
"Yuffie, what's going on no-... Sora?" Leon had just walked out of the dojo, probably looking to see what was taking his student so long. The scene in front of him left Leon baffled.  
"Look what Cid did to poor Sora! He killed my sidekick!"  
"Killed him?! He's fukkin' knocked out! You're blind!"  
"Cid why did you hurt Sora?" Cid huffed in annoyance at Leon's calm inquiry.  
"Never see the kid before today, and he's telling me that he lives here, what the fuck else do you expect me to do? I'm not about to give him a welcome basket!"  
"Sora, wake up! That old man couldn't have clobbered you _that_ hard!"  
"You wanna be next, ya ninja wannabe?"  
"_Wannabe? WANNABE?!_"  
"Be _silent_." Leon was angry. It showed, in his eyes. And in the way the two obeyed, albeit differently. Yuffie settled for glaring at the Cid. Cid, huffed a second time, and turned to Leon.  
"...Leon, what's goin' on here?" Leon sighed, and picked up Sora, handling him with more care then the surly lance-fighter. He began walking back toward to living room, and offered his explination on the way.  
"Sora is a resident of a world that died, four or five nights ago. He's capable of fighting heartless, and he's expressed an interest in helping us. I've given him a room." As Leon walked by the Keyblade, Yuffie lifted it off the ground, taking the rare oppritunity to actually take a good look at the legendary item. It... didn't feel right in her hands. Like she had been rejected, or something like that... It had an even weight, and if there was a blade, instead of the other end of a key, she surmised that it would look formidable. As it stood though... the appearence opted toward something more childish.  
"I sent him out for water, while I was training him. He didn't come back. It looks like he won't be learning anything more today." Leon finished, laying the boy on the couch, on his side. "Yuffie, could you please get me some ice?"  
"Anything for my sidekick!"  
"Leave the Keyblade, please."  
"Kay..." And she handed the sword to Leon. Cid's cigerette fell out of his mouth.  
"...You're not serious, are you? That kid was chosen? .._._And _that's_ the Keyblade? It looks-"  
"We _know_ what it looks like, but it's legitimate. How else could he have survived his world breaking?"  
"...Well, he isn't strong. But neither are a lot of people here. A strong heart only makes it more likely he grabs onto a world. Everybody _else_ got by on random chance."  
"Everybody else didn't start fighting heartless off as soon as they woke up. And... everybody else doesn't have a sword they can pull out of the air. I don't know if it's a defining trait of the Keyblade, but... a weapon that makes him strong enough to fight heartless on his own sounds like a Keyblade to me."  
"...I don't like this. He's a rookie. Better off we put him in the shelter, and wait for somebody to take him into a family." Cid scoffed. "Not that there are any actual families here anymore."  
"Here you go Leon!"  
"Thank you. Go put that on Sora's head."  
"Alright... one thing still gets me though." Cid said, taking a drag on his cigerette. He didn't often actually smoke in the house, but after hearing about the Keyblade, he couldn't help but light up. Leon and Yuffie didn't blame him for a second. "He's been here for... four or five days now? I was in the shop for that long, working on a ship. Nobody came to tell me that there was another kid in the house?" Silence. Yuffie disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Leon wished he knew how to do the same.  
"We can't just put him in a shelter. The heartless are drawn to the Keyblade when it appears. And it will appear if he has to defend himself. And if the Keyblader were to be overwhelmed...?"  
"Ah. That shit about the prophecy?"  
"I don't believe in it either. But nobody can deny that the appearence of a mythical weapon is unimportant. Sora's survival is going to be a priority for a while."  
"Well of course it is." Cid smirked. "Can't have our first rookie dyin' on us. Yuffie'd never let us hear the end of it."  
"She'd be very angry. She seems to have grown attached to the boy. As have... every girl in Seventh Heaven. Perhaps Aerith too."  
"Well shit. Anything happens to the kid, and we're going to be mauled by a mob of angry women."  
"And a ninja. And... Aerith still has that summoning materia..."  
"Heh! Yuffie would never hurt either of us!"  
"Yuffie has other methods of revenge." Leon said, rather solemly.  
"Knowing her, she'd dye all your underwear pink!" Leon couldn't help but chuckle, before suddenly getting very paranoid.  
"...Excuse me, I'll be right back."

"_YUFFIE!_"  
"Yes Leon?" Oh, that sweet tone wouldn't save her _this_ time.  
"Explain this." The irate man said, holding up a pair of now pink boxers.  
"Well... you see, your underwear drawer was so boring, what with only the greys and blacks... I decided it needed some color! But I only had one color to use."  
"Explain this." He now gestured at the lace, that ran along the waistband.  
"Lace looks good with pink. And white, but I didn't have any bleach."  
"Explain _this_." He then held up something a little different. Something that would be floating in and out of Yuffie's dreams for quite a while. Something, that Yuffie saw no reason to change actually.  
"Well, that wasn't boring at _all_ so I didn't even touch it! Why are you blaming me?!"  
"It wasn't where I left it." Leon's eye twitched. "I want to know what _else_ you've seen."  
"Bad question. You should be asking me what I _haven't_ seen."

Cid had moved an ashtray to the coffee table, and cracked a window next to where he sat. He was premitted a few smokes, but even he could appreciate that some didn't like the fumes. He looked at Sora again. The kid looked like _nothing_. But then... at one time, he supposed each member of their exclusive club was nothing as well, Cid mused. What would _Sora_ become, after years of fighting evil?  
"No! Leon, _please_ don't tell Aerith! She'll never forgive me!"  
"I'll never forgive you."  
"I don't care, just don't tell Aerith!" Oh wonderful. Daddy couldn't control the kid, so he was going to go tell Mommy. This was going to turn into something entertaining.  
"Hey, kid, wake up." A couple light shakes to the prone figure, and it stirred finally.  
"Uh... what? Wait, you-"  
"Hang on, I don't want to miss this. And you don't either. Call it a peace offering." Sora quirked his eyebrows in confusion, but figured since the man wasn't holding a spear this time, it would be fine. He looked over to where Cid was watching. Aerith had just come home from the bar. Yuffie was in histarics, and Leon was seething. As least Sora thought he was. The man was like the side of a refrigerator sometimes. Blank. However, the scene that resulted would be something that Cid and Sora would laugh about for a long time after. Best peace offering _ever_.


	8. Ch 6: Mission Improbable

_(Anything that has a copyright is copyrighted to their respective owners. And now, for something COMPLETELY different.)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Eight: Mission Improbable

He was captain of the guard, and though Donald was sometimes proud and sometimes loathe to admit it, Goofy truly deserved the position. He was a simple being. Easy going. At times he seemed like a cadet, joining up because he 'felt like it'. Other times, he was still simple. A one track mind that wasn't easily deterred in times of crisis. Loyalty and a sense of duty. Dedicated to protect. He was 'The Shield of Disney Castle'. That face of Goofy wasn't one that was seen often, as they didn't have to put up with constant attack. Or even occasional attack. In fact, they hadn't been attacked for quite a while. Peace welcomed whole heartedly. So, as such, Goofy had no need to take charge and lead troops.

And so, his sleep went undisturbed. And Donald wondered again how the knight kept his station so long. Nevertheless, this was a time of crisis. And so, he needed to awake. Donald considered dropping a bolt of lightning on him... but unfortunately, dropping a bolt of _lightning_ on him, while he was encased in conductive armor was probably not a good idea. Could lead to injury, and if Donald put power into the spell, a possible heart failure. He was a vindictive duck at times, but he was not cruel. So, he settled for several static shocks jumping to the knight's skin from the breast plate. The snapping and popping was audible, and so was the yelp of surprise as the guard finally snapped awake and surveyed his surroundings with a confused eye. It gave the impression that he forget exactly where he fell asleep. Finding everything normal, he turned to the court mage that was Donald Duck. His feathered friend's brow was currently furrowed in irritation, something far from uncommon. Best to find out what went wrong.  
"Well good mornin' Donald. How are ya?"  
"Good _afternoon_. It's two o'clock! Why are you sleeping at a time like this?!"  
"What's so special about right now?" He had missed the point again, but this time, there _was_ something that needed his attention.  
"The King's missing!"  
"Are ya sure? Kings have an awful lot to do. He could be anywhere."  
"He left a letter and left!"  
"Oh. Well if he gave you a letter, why didn't you ask questions?"  
"He didn't give it to me!" The duck garbled, still in the midst of panic. "He gave it to Pluto!"  
"Oh? Where's Pluto then?"  
"That's not important, I have the letter now!"  
"Oh good. What's it say?"  
"I can't open it yet!" And he realized just how loudly he was exclaiming the situation to any who would hear. Knowing the King was gone would result in nothing but complications. And that rat Mortimer would probably try to usurp the throne _again_... He dropped his voice to a whisper. "We need to handle this in the utmost secrecy. _Top_ secrecy. Nobody can know the King is gone aside from the two of us."  
"Would you mind if Daisy and her majesty, the Queen knew?"  
"They _especially_ can't know."  
"Oh... well... how do you plan to make them forget?"  
"Wha...?" Goofy extended a finger, and pointed behind Donald's back. He whirled around to see Daisy and Minnie, both quite curious at the contents of the letter that Donald had produced. The ever gracious Queen Minnie cleared her throat.  
"Perhaps... we should move to the study, before discussing this further?" Goofy smiled and got up, dusting himself off from his comfortable bed of grass. Donald sighed in resignation, and glanced apologetically to Daisy, before following out of the courtyard.

The contents of the letter weren't as enlightening as the occupants of the room were hoping. So far, they gathered that the King had launched an investigation of the heartless, and had left instructions to be followed. Minnie, was to assume temporary power, while keeping his leaving a secret. She was free to use any means she deemed necessary. It was clear the letter was meant to see her eyes as well. It also ordered Donald and Goofy to embark on a potentially dangerous mission. They were to find a key, of some sort. The King noted that they would know it for sure, after they saw it. He could offer no more information as he had little himself. After finding this 'key', they were to seek him out. That was all. A simple mission to be sure. One that would be completed, the court mage and knight captain both vowed to their Queen. They were to be dispatched immediately. So Minnie wished them both good luck, and Daisy merely told her sweetheart to 'Be careful, and mind your temper!'. Donald learned long ago not to remark on how her temper was just as volatile as his was. Goofy learned long ago not to remark on how this might've been what drew them together in the first place. Donald specialized in ice spells. He wasn't above encasing the subjects of his ire in small icebergs. The following morning, they moved discretely to the gummy-ship docking bay, lead by two small chipmunk mechanics.  
"Your clothes and supplies have been prepared, as ordered." One chipmunk, named Chip, reported in a rather high voice.  
"We'll be takin' ya to meet your pilot first!" The other remarked in a somewhat deeper voice, at least compared to Chip's. This one's name was apparently Dale. "He's waiting on the ship. All your luggage is in the cabins already. We're all set for launch!"  
"Good work." Said Donald, as their footsteps clanked off the metal stairs to their finest ship.  
"So, what kinda guy is our pilot?" Goofy asked, curious for good reason. They would be spending quite a lot of time with this new friend.  
"He's... a little odd." Chip said. "He doesn't speak. But, you should understand him well enough."  
"How can we if he doesn't speak?" Donald asked, while thinking refusing to say a single word was ridiculous.  
"He's _awesome_ at charades." Dale answered ...Well it wasn't half as ridiculous as that. The side door of the ship opened, and the four stepped inside and made their way to the bridge.

"He's in here." Chip chirped. And sure enough, there was someone in the bridge. And... at first glance, he certainly _was_ odd. For one thing, there didn't seem to be any person on the bridge. There was instead a white dog. A beagle, Donald would find out later. Said dog though, was not curled up on the floor awaiting a master like normal. This beagle was definitely asleep, but in lieu of the floor, it opted instead to sleep on the steering wheel. Perfectly balenced, on it's back, it was sleeping on the steering wheel. Soft snores echoed in the quiet room. Donald gaped in disbelief.  
"_This_ is our pilot?"  
"He's very capable. Best pilot we have actually." How could he be the best pilot when he slept on the job like that?! It was unethical!  
"How often does he sleep on the job?!"  
"He never falls asleep at the wheel... well... at least he doesn't while the ship's flyin'."  
"C'mon Donald. Not like sleepin's a bad thing. He'll just be well rested is all." Well of course _Goofy_ wouldn't see a problem.  
"Well... wake him up already! We have to get going!"  
"Uh... Hey, Snoopy! It's time to get up! The mission's starting!" The beagle twitched. And then opened his eyes. Noting that it was indeed time to stop sleeping, he shifted his weight ever so slightly, and landed on the floor as the steering wheel spun him off. Not wasting a beat, he then walked right past the other occupants of the bridge, and over to the coffee maker in the corner. It made sense, Donald supposed, to go for a cup of coffee. But something about the picture just seemed... abnormal. Goofy broke the silence.  
"So, how did he become a pilot?"  
"Oh, he ended up here after his world broke. After that, we started taking care of him, right before he took a gummy-ship for a joy ride." Chip recounted. Dale walked off to get a few sips of coffee for himself, and was gladly offered the caffinated drink in a thimble placed beside the coffee maker for just that purpose. After a few gulps, Dale continued.  
"We later found out that he wanted to go out and search for his friends. And since he flew so beautifuly, the King enroled him in the academy and he passed with flying colors!" Dale took another sip. "And he makes a mean cup of joe. We don't know how he does it, but he's great at everything he does. His name is Snoopy, by the way." Goofy walked over and offered a hand.  
"Nice to meet ya Snoopy. Name's Goofy." Snoopy happily shook the hand in greeting, and then poured a cup for the knight. "Mm... this _is_ good." Donald still wasn't convinced.  
"How do we know he's qualified?"  
"He's the best we have. And we can't get anyone else right now anyway. The mission's top secret."  
"Well... if we're stuck with him, then let's get flying already! We've wasted enough time!"  
"If you say so. Snoopy! Goofy and Donald here will be your commanding officers on this mission!" Snoopy's eyes opened wide at this, and he tossed back what coffee remained in his mug. After washing and replacing the mug at lightning speed, he sprinted over to the pilot's chair, and opened a glove compartment. From within, he retreived a leather helmet, a pair of green goggles, a red scarf, and a pair of leather gloves, all of which he immedetely donned. Turning on his heel, he stood at attention and saluted. Sora, after meeting Snoopy, would compare his appearence to something right out of World War II. His stance would make a general proud. 'Reporting for duty' was the unspoken message. Neither Donald or Goofy had any doubt. He _was_ easy to understand.  
"Me and Dale will be in the engine room. Call us if we're needed at all!" Chip left. Dale, not quite finished his coffee, followed after. Goofy had just finished putting his mug away when Snoopy jumped into the pilot's seet and pressed a button underneith the left arm rest. The seat raised to an appropreate level, and Snoopy began flicking switches. Goofy and Donald both took places on either side of the beegle as he pressed a button, and a pinging noise went off. Donald looked up to realize that a seatbelt light had just turned on. Grumbling, he complied. Pressing another button, a terminal popped up on Snoopy's right, and the pilot immedetely began typing messages to the control tower. There was a sensation of the ship being lowered. A long dark tube stretched out before them now. And... the tube was now moving? Donald wondered if this was normal. He wondered this, because the beegle in the front seat was now chuckling as if to a private joke. Goofy didn't seem to know either, though he was tightening his seatbelt. Donald, now sensing some form of danger, did the same. Then sounded a noise that Donald recognised. The sound of one of the castle's defense cannons being loaded. A message sounded over the speakers.

"Preparations now complete. Please prepare to be launched. Thank you..." Oh no... Oh _no..._

The beagle laughed manically as it pounded down a very large, shiny, red button. The function of those buttons was both universal, and unmistakable.

"...and have a nice day." The only thing heard over the deafening boom of the firing launch cannon was Donald's garbled scream of pure, unadulterated, heart stopping terror.


	9. Ch 7: The Keyhole

_(Alright, next exciting installment of Oathkeeper! Hopefully it's exciting. Hopefully I don't get lynched at least. Meh, they can try._

_Fan: Hey, Raijinken! Do you own anything in this chapter? Like, anything with a copyright? Like, own it and get a royalty cheque once a month and live buried in luxuries and pocky?_

_What? Heck no, get off the sauce._

_Different Fan: Then why do you do it?_

_...Ninja Vanish!__)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Seven: The Keyhole

"Sora."  
"Yeah?" Sora answered casually, the only thing on his mind probably being why Leon was adressing him. It was nice to see he wasn't so shy around the man anymore.  
"How far along are you, in schooling?"  
"Oh... Well, on my world, I was about to go to grade nine. But... do you do things like that here?"  
"A grade system? It's common, but how many grades are there in yours?"  
"Twelve. Then... college or university."  
"How well did you do in your studies? Answer truthfully." Huh... this might be embarrassing...  
"Well, I don't think I did too bad in Gym, math... science, I don't really know. History, I didn't do that well, I'm kinda sure..."  
"Language arts?"  
"Huh? Oh, English class... uh..." Like dipping in cold water. Best to get it over with, Sora thought. "I... fell asleep in that class... a lot..." Leon looked thoughtful. The ghost of a smile quirked itself in his features.  
"That would explain your stunted vocabulary rather well." And then the smile was gone. "Sora, would you say no to home schooling? It would be a good idea if you had _some_ significant schooling."  
"Oh, is it important here?"  
"It's my opinion that it should be important everywhere. But..." Sora could swear he glanced at Cid. The mechanic was currently trying his hand at plumbing. A dull thud sounded as he hit his head on the top of his workspace under the sink. His curses were even more detailed then Yuffie's.  
"...Gotcha. But why wouldn't you just put me in a public school then?"  
"School is not in session yet. And, you are not yet comfortable here."  
"Oh... Alright, well..."  
"I will see about getting you the material. All I ask is that you learn it. Sword practice will be three days a week. The remaining four will be a few hours of study in place of training. Is this acceptable?" Actually it _was_ fair. It might've just been because it was Leon, but Sora didn't want to argue.  
"Yup."  
"And now I believe it's time for your first day of work. Chances are Aerith is going to put you in the kitchen, cleaning. Do you remember where the bar is?"  
"I think I do. Swords when I get back?"  
"No. I'll have everything you need by then, so you'll get started on improving your vocabulary." Oh, that didn't sound like fun at all. His memories of learning English were mostly the reading out loud from a dictionary. Tonight was going to be boring. "I'll see you when you get back. Take care."  
"I will!" And as Sora ran by, Yuffie walked in, and was subjected to Leon's vicious glare. She left again, shivering. Cid walked up behind the man.  
"When you can do things like that, you make me jealous, you know that? A stare that can make halloween-quality ninjas leave the room? You need to teach me that sometime."  
"You'll learn when you suddenly have almost nothing but pink and frilly underwear."  
"'Least she didn't get all of it. You don't have to wear the gay stuff, right?"  
"...At this point it's a tough choice to make..."  
"What was that?"  
"Nothing." Cid accepted that easily. He always did, bless the foul mouthed man's heart.  
"So, does Sora have any idea whatsoever what he's up against here?"  
"It is part of his training. To adapt to unknown circumstances, and erect a defence for himself out of any information or methods he can gather."  
"It's because he laughed last week, when everybody was arguing, isn't it?"  
"I confirm or deny nothing." Subtle revenge was Leon's black-belt. He would _get_ you if you crossed him, and there would be no counterattack.  
"Damn you're a bastard when you're out for revenge."  
"You laughed louder then he did. Remember that." Maybe it was time to hide out in the shop for another week...

"Ah, Sora, you're finally mine."  
"Uh... Aerith? What did you say?" Oh yes, watching him squirm would be _fun_.  
"Hm. Alright Sora, to start, there's a uniform for you in the back. Put that on and meet me in the kitchens. It should be easy enough for you to find the staff-room."  
"Kay." Now if only he could get past all the waitress' grinning like idiots. They were _creepy_.

"Sora, you've been in there for ten minutes. Is there any particular reason you're _still_ changing?"  
"Uh... am I supposed to put this on?"  
"...Why wouldn't you?" Aerith asked, genuinely confused. "You have everything in there, don't you?"  
"... It looks like I do but..."  
"Well, that is your uniform. You have to wear it if you're going to work here."  
"But... I don't think I saw any of the other guys wearing maid dresses. Or any of the girls even."  
"..." That would explain all the waitress' grinning like cheshire cats. She saw an actual cheshire cat grin once. It would huant the nightmares of children. "Who wasn't listening when I said '_No sexual harassment_'?" Nobody owned up. Aerith sighed. Though it would be priceless to see Sora in a maid outfit, Leon said to leave him with some pride. That, and Aerith was certainly _not_ a heartless. Sora would probably start crying fifteen minutes into wearing the dress. Poor thing.  
"...Do I have to wear the cat ears and tail too?" Alright that mental picture was sinfully cute, in more ways then one. Still she had to hold firm, for the sake of the boy's sanity.  
"Come _on_ Aerith! You know you want to see him in that outfit!"  
"Yeah! Then while he's all vulnerable and cute, on his break, we'll teach him all about this and that..."  
"_No sexual harassment_."  
"Aw, Aerith, you used to be cool!"  
"He'd be so molestable! You _know_ we'd get more business with a mascot like him!" That one raised a good point. Girls would probably come stampeding in, though, they would lose just as many male patrons though. Tifa would have her head if the bar turned into a cosplay cafe.  
"Uh... I hate to interrupt, but why is there underwear included in the uniform?"  
"Sora, that isn't your uniform. I'll go get it, you wait in there. And don't open the door for _anybody_ but me. I no longer think I can trust my staff." There was the sound of the door locking on the other side. "Good boy. I'll be back soon. The rest of you. Back to work." Aerith left. Another waitress appeared from around the corner, carrying a camera in her hand. Making sure the boss was out of earshot, she whispered.  
"He was wearing the dress, _and_ the accessories. I've got pictures." From the bathroom, Sora could only assume that the squealing he heard was a bad omen. He sighed, and took off the cat ears. He really wasn't comfortable dressed like this, even if nobody could see him. Thank god nobody ever would.

"Sora." The boy turned around at the familar voice, and was please to find the man that had quickly turned into his mentor.  
"Hey Leon. Do you need something?"  
"I have something for you. You can expand your vocabulary on your break." Oh... homework... exciting... "Here." Oh wonderful, on his break he could now have oodles of fun by reading a dictiona- a book? Granted, a dictionary was a book, but this book was not a dictionary. It was a novel. The title read in gold letters '_Ocarina of Time_'. The book itself was somewhat thick.  
"This is my English homework?"  
"If it's English we're speaking right now, then yes, I suppose it is. I find that reading a book is much more entertaining then a dictionary. That one I'm sure you'll like, actually." Well, Leon hadn't been wrong yet. And frankly this _would_ be a lot less painful then a dictionary. "You didn't actually expect to be reading a dictionary, did you?" Sora nodded. "Some learn best with that route, perhaps. You don't seem the type." He certainly _wasn't_. "Apparently the book is based on a true story. Most would have trouble believing. I'm pretty sure either of us would not, however. So, how have the waitress' been?"  
"Evil. Really _really_ evil."  
"I'm almost afraid find out if you're exagerating."  
"They tried to dress me up as a cat maid."  
"... I'm going to go have a talk with Aerith."  
"Oh no, Aerith put a stop to it. It's just... what's wrong with their heads?" Leon sighed.  
"If things don't let up, let me know. There are other jobs you could do, less taxing on your sanity."  
"I will."  
"Sora! It's break time for you!" Oh. Well, looks like he would be able to get started on that book pretty soon. Good timing Leon.  
"Then I'll leave you. See you when you get home."  
"Bye Leon!" The man turned to leave, and Sora was about to go store the book in the back for when his break rolled around when a siren started low, and gradually increased in pitch. Sora looked to Leon, now turning around with a look of disgust on his face.  
"They attack again, so soon?"  
"Leon?"  
"Sora, that siren means that heartless are attacking. Cid and Aerith handle evacuation and after that, Cid handles defence of the shelters. Yuffie and I mop up any heartless we find. Sora, you are coming with me. Don't summon the Keyblade until I give the word."  
"Gotcha..." Leon had asumed the role of a commander. A leader, it seemed. And the fact that Sora was his only soldier to command did not dilute the image a single molecule. Aerith ran by, quarterstaff in hand and serious look on her features. She spared the man and his student a moment.  
"Keep eachother safe."  
"I will."  
"He won't leave my sight." Both Sora and Leon nodded to the woman, and she smiled, accepting the answers provided. And she left for her task. Leon grabbed the gunblade at his waist, and held it easily in a practiced grip. The man walked out of the now empty bar briskly and Sora followed behind, out into what would become a battlefield.

They were not walking long, and Leon seemed to know exactly where he was headed. Of course, now he had an accurate strategy to fight the inky creatures. All he needed to do was lead his new partner into an open area, and have him summon his weapon. Then, if they were lucky, the heartless would converge. For Sora alone, it would be a problem. However, Leon at his full potential and strength was beyond what Sora would call human. The boy would be safe.  
"Sora."  
"Right." And Sora held out his hand. A pause, as he tried to feel what exactly happened at the time a Keyblade came into being. Slowly, he was gaining a sense of his weapon, and it's potential origin. Leon had once ran him through an exersise, a form of meditation he once said. He had taught Sora how to feel for his own heart, and the reason for this was to let him know that his heart was there always. A vital comfort to have, in a world where creatures hunted it's light. And after that lesson, Sora experimented, remembering what Leon had told him about how the Keyblade and hearts were connected somehow. So he spent the better part of two and a half hours in this calming state, exploring his heart and it's surounding warm light.

And it was then he discovered something odd.

Afterwards, he had run to Leon, telling him that there was no mistake. Though they were directly overlaping, virtually inside eachother, Sora had two hearts instead of just one. And by the man's raised eyebrows, this was indeed an unusual occurance. Further experimentation had taught him that, there was something different in one of the hearts. Something strange he could touch, but not identify. Leon told him that this was also not normal, and soon after, Sora became bold. Two things, large things that could not be explained drew at the boy's sense of adventure. So, he once again saught out the abnormality, which became easier and easier as he did it, and grasped it. A few tenative tugs told him there was resistance. So he pulled a little harder, and felt something give. Before he knew what was happening, there was a flash of light, and the Keyblade had appeared in his hands. He immedetely probed again, trying to find if the abnormality was still there, if the Keyblade was indeed sheathed in one of the hearts when not in his hand. And he found that he only had one heart, normal in every way. The Keyblade in his hand... was his second heart. A weapon composed of another heart, probably granted to him at the same time as the Keyblade itself. Even so, having two hearts would explain greatly why he managed to survive his world breaking... Leon and Sora discussed this at length, attempting to study the weapon in what meager ways they could. Yuffie then sulked, because she thought it was unfair for Sora to have two hearts in place of one. That and hitting people with the other one was really cool. Sora very much agreed.

He had grown accustomed to unsheathing the Keyblade from himself, removing his core and turning it into a weapon. The thought of literally killing heartless with what they were attempting to steal from other people was ironic. It also made him a tad apprehensive, because the thought of one of them devouring the Keyblade itself would leave him unarmed. However, he had faith that the 'legendary weapon', made to be the bane of the heartless would not have such an obvious weakness.

Now, once again, it was as if he had arms, hands, or something else entirely to feel out with, running them over his hearts. Running 'fingers' over the cores was very calming. Somewhat like a different sort of massage. Or that one spot dogs like to be scratched in, Sora thought with a mental chuckle. It was intoxicating at times. However, there would be time for that later. Before he went to bed usually, to lull himself to restful sleep, something that he was getting reaquanted with rather quickly since he had learned the exersise. He sought out the abnormality, wrapped a 'hand' around it, and pulled the Keyblade into physical form. Turning it over in his grip, he once again noticed how it didn't feel all that familiar in his hand. It was as if there was something about the hilt that just made it uncomfortable to hold, a curve or a warp, or something wrong. But there was nothing like that to hinder him, he noticed as he checked for the umpteenth time._  
'Well, I guess it's something I'll have to get used to.'_ Sora thought, as he stopped his rampant mind and concentrated on the task at hand. That being, defending himself against several heartless that would hopefully be drawn to the sword. Leon's head turned slowly around, observing something.  
"Get ready, here they come." So they _were_ coming. "I can hear them. They're closest over that way." Sora turned to face it, but grew concerned as something in the back of his head warned him of something. He could... feel something, moving slowly through the ground. The Keyblade pulsed in his hand, and a direction pointed itself behind Sora's back.  
"No! Behind us!" Two leapt at the fighters, and were quickly dispatched as swords were brought down over their heads. Sora noted with pride that his movement was almost identical to Leon's, though the man's was obviously faster. _'Meh, I can pout later.'_  
"...Sora, how did you know?" Huh? Leon didn't?  
"I... don't know..." However, the calculating look Sora gave to the Keyblade told Leon a little more.  
"Sora, see if you can find out where they are again. Concentrate on the Keyblade." Sora nodded, and tried. Not long passed before Sora admitted that he felt nothing. He sighed, fustrated that things kept escaping him like this. It would probably take a little while before he could actually figu- the Keyblade pulsed again._  
'There!'_ To Leon, the movement was rather spontaneous. Sora suddenly dashed towards him, readying the sword to cut. Darkness leaked out of the ground as a heartless leapt out. Leon was used to these attacks, and lashed out with the gunblade to cut it down. A clang sounded as the Keyblade met it in mid swing, and the screaming creature was literally caught between both blades, swords crossed through it. Disolving as they often did, Leon blinked in surprise.  
"Did you feel it again?"  
"Y-yeah..." Sora looked sheepish, before his expression quickly shifted to one of alarm. He whirled around to see a group of heartless emerge from the street and alleys, running to them as if they were an oasis in the desert. There were tons...  
"I'll keep you safe Sora."  
"Leon...?"  
"Watch my back, and don't let up. Not a single one is going to get away from us."  
"...Yeah!" Hearing it like that, made Sora feel like they should fear him instead. It was a good feeling. Sora readied the Keyblade in the stance Leon had taught him, while the other man clenched a fist in front of him. Sora felt something brush the back of his mind, a feeling similar to when Leon had used the stop spell on him. This time however, the spell was quite different. Leon's hand became engulfed in flames, and he whipped it out at the incoming crowd.  
"_Firaga!_" A large fireball jumped from Leon's arm, and caused an even larger explosion where it impacted the mob. Such a thinning of their numbers didn't seem to matter to the heartless. Or perhaps they didn't care. Because of the lacking hesitation, they closed the remaining distance where Sora and Leon stood ready. And the battle began.

Elsewhere, Yuffie was wondering where all the heartless went. She hadn't even gotten around to killing half her quota. This was... strange, really. She hadn't even been at it for twenty minutes before they just stopped coming. Leaning against her giant shuriken, she wondered idly what could possibly be more distracting then a crazy asskicking ninja. Then she remembered a heartless buffet. All they could eat, being defended by Aerith and that half baked ship builder.  
"Oh no, the shelters!" Securing her weapon to her back, she leaped from rooftop to rooftop, as fast as she could be carried. The large warehouse type buildings were easy to pick out from a distance, but there was no beseiging that she could see happening. The auto-turrets on the outside were active, and if Cid had anything to say about it, they were in top condition. Yuffie would admit that Cid took machines seriously, and he took the safety of the townspeople even more seriously. So, nothing wrong with them. "Hey! Open up, it's me!"  
"Yuffie?" The small door service door opened, and Aerith peeked out, staff first. "Yuffie, what are you doing here?"  
"No heartless. Why aren't they here either? Normally those guns are moving full tilt."  
"It's strange, but the attack just seemed to stop early."  
"What? Yuffie? What the hell are you doing here?"  
"Watch your language!" _Wack!_  
"Cid, don't use the h-word in front of children, or their mothers." Cid could not tell Aerith to shut up. It just was not done. So he settled for grumbling about ungrateful women who didn't appreciate heroes who took time out of their busy schedule to save innocent lives. Then Cid took another purse to the face because he grumbled crudely, and colorfully. Yuffie sniggered, and then switched gears to the matter at hand.  
"I know looking a gift chocobo in the mouth is the first step towards disaster, but seriously, where the _heck_ did they all go?" She stressed the word heck, just to get on Cid's nerves. He had no problem telling Yuffie to shut up or go screw off. Purse, meet face. _Wack!_  
"Ow! Dammit woman, don't swing that thing at-"_  
Wack!_  
"Hey! I've got a spear and it's protecting your ungrateful ass!"_  
Wack!_  
"DAMMIT!"_  
Wack!_  
"_ARGH!_"  
"I guess since there are no heartless around, the people aren't scared anymore. Do they think the attack's over?" The ladies ignored Cid, who was trying his very hardest not to say anything this mad-woman deemed unacceptable.  
"Even if they do, they can't leave yet. An attack has never lasted any less then hours."  
"Well then, what now?"  
"Stay here. We don't know what's going to happen next."  
"But... Leon and Sora are still out there!"  
"They'll be safe. Leon carries elixirs. And you know he's every bit as capable as we are." How could Aerith always have so much faith in everything? Granted, she hadn't been wrong yet, but...!  
"But.. what about Sora?"  
"He's growing quickly. And Leon said that he would keep Sora safe. I think he's got a soft spot for our rookie, don't you?" Well that certainly couldn't be denied. In an action somewhat unlike the man, Leon had quite quickly taken Sora under his wing. He seemed to be doing a damn good job as a role model too. "Even if he didn't, Leon would give his life for anyone in trouble. And his life is hard to take."  
"Well... fine. But I'm giving it a half hour before I go out there to check on them!"  
"I can't ask any more." Aerith smiled, as she often did. If Yuffie wasn't going to check on them, she would've in a heartbeat. While riding a dragon. She was so fond of her summoning materia...

"_Firaga!_" _'BOOM!'_ Somehow, between just Leon and Sora, the plaza was beginning to look like the site of an all out war. And seeing what the man could do, Sora wondered just how many more explosions there would be if the other three heroes were there. It might have had something to do with his upbringing, or perhaps it was just his gender, but explosions were _awesome_. He also wanted to see what the others were capable of, because Leon's advanced swordplay, and what he could only assume was just as advanced fire magic was very impressive. However, Sora thought, he himself may have been something impressive as well. Granted, he was still learning swordplay, and he had nothing in the way of magic, but once upon a time, he was able to fight heartless somewhat effectively. Now, he could strike back.  
"Hah!" Impailing a heartless, he jumped back, trying not to stray too far from Leon. He was confident that he was helping, but he wouldn't survive very long if the Heartless managed to cut him off.  
"Sora, how are you holding up?" Leon said, before slamming a heartless out of the air with a hammering strike. Due to adrenelin, and the high that came with seeing his lessons come to fruition, Sora was still ready to fight. However, adrenelin or anything else were things very far from his mind as they were still coming. So, a simple answer sufficed.  
"Just fine! How much longer will this last?"  
"Hard to say. The attacks norma... huh?" Leon noticed that wherever the heartless were crawling out of, they weren't crawling out of it anymore. The group that surrounded them seemed to be the last. "The end's in sight! Keep fighting!" Leon yelled, cutting down three heartless in quick succession. At a rate like that, it wasn't long until they were alone in the plaza. Sora fell backwards on his behind and began breathing heavily.  
"Is it over _now_?"  
"...Looks like it."  
"Oh thank go-" _'BOOM'_  
"...What in nine hells?" Leon said, head sharply turning to the source of the noise. Gunblade at the ready, he waited. He knew the shelters were the opposite way, so there was no need to go rushing after whatever had made that sound. He heard breaking concrete in that direction too. And then more booms. At the frequency they were happening, and the fact that they were getting louder... they sounded like footsteps?  
"Sora! Get up, we might not be through!" _'BOOM'_  
"Leon, what the heck's going on?!"  
"I don't know, but- over there!" A gigantic metal foot stomped into sight from a side view. And a second. Floating above the feet were a torso, and two large clawed gauntlet like hands floating appropriately on either side. Then a head, shaped like a helmet. It had no neck, arms, or legs, in between the five body parts. And on it's chest, there was an insignia that Sora had never seen before. As he looked on, the Keyblade pulsed.  
"It's a heartless!"  
"You're sure?"  
"No doubt!" And since it was a heartless, it had to be destroyed and quickly. That thing would tear through the shelters like a lawn mower through grass.  
"Sora, stay back! Harming that thing's going to be difficult!"  
"But-!"  
"I'm not asking you to sit it out! Wait for an opening!" Leon stepped closer cautiously, gunblade held in both hands defensively. Still the thing walked forward, never slowing, right past Leon towards Sora. The problem with this was that Leon was now behind the monster's back.  
"You won't make that mistake again!" Leon yelled, launching himself off the ground and at the back of the giant heartless' head. The head was evidently heavily armored, because the gunblade was stopped, though a hell of a mark was left and the hammering blow toppled the entire thing over as if it were hit by a train. Sora leaped out of the way as it went skidding by him on the pavement. Slowly the monster picked itself up.  
"How the heck is it still alive after that?!"  
"It must be made of considerably tougher stuff then the others. Are you sure this is a heartless Sora? It looks nothing like the others."  
"The Keyblade says so. It's a heartless alright."  
"Well then..." Leon readied his sword again, as did Sora. It turned towards them, no longer after Sora first. The other was a significant threat. It most certainly would _not_ make that mistake again.  
"What's it doing now?"  
"Sora, I've never seen this thing before. I have no idea what it's doing."  
"Wait a minute it-" The thing's limbs seemed to detach itself from the main body, and rearrange themselves. The body turned so it's bottom was facing it's enemies. Said bottom was hollowed out, and the hands and feet were arranged symeterically on the sides, the head coming to rest on the top. The inside of the barrel began to glow white.  
"-it's a cannon!"  
"Move!" Both leaped separate ways as a destructive beam hit the ground where they were standing. The result was a rather large hole.  
"...Sora."  
"What?"  
"I don't have magic that can counter that effectively enough. Try very hard not to get hit by the cannon."  
"You don't need to tell me twice." Leon chuckled.  
"Mm. Be careful." It had now shifted back, and was rearing back to smash a fist into the ground where Sora was. Managing to dodge out of the way, Sora brought up the Keyblade in a counter strike, and was gob-smacked to see the blade shear through about half the arm before losing momentum and coming to a stop. Wrenching it's hand out of the ground, and the lodged Keyblade out of Sora's hands, it roared, and swiped with the other claw. Sora leapt back, and landed next to Leon.  
"Sora, stand back. I'll probably be able to get it-" '_Fwash!' _"back..." Sora had thrust out a hand towards the captured sword, and it had jumped to his hand in it's normal flash of light. Leon forgot the Keyblade was bound to the boy.  
"Ready Leon?"  
"...Yeah. Get ready, here comes the cannon again!" Another explosion of cement where the lazer hit. Leon was already rushing in, and landed a merciless hit while it was reconstructing, This seemed to disorient it, as each body part moved unusually as it shifted slower into position.  
"Now Sora!"  
"Lets go!" Each jumped off one of the raised feet, and readied their swords.  
"Hah!" Sora's swing cut the head clear in half, and-  
"Ragh!" After Leon's slash, the head fell in quarters to the ground, each piece causing a resounding clang. And as most things do, with the destruction of the head, it was finished. The rest of the armor fell from where it was floating, crashing nosily to the ground, before dissolving into darkness and disappearing. Sora panted heavily.  
"Is it over _now_?!"  
"It had better be, or I'm blasting the next thing to show up right back to hell."  
"Hey guys, that was _awesome_!" The next thing to show up, turned out to be Yuffie. Leon seemed to be deeply considering something.  
"Hm... I'm almost tempted..."  
"Leon, not a good idea."  
"Why not?" The man turned to Sora, with a look of mock confusion.  
"Because if she dodges it, it's going to be hell for _everybody_. Ninja are good at dodging"  
"Good point." A rare smile from the man. "And you did splendidly in battle, Sora. Well done." Sora couldn't help but grin uner the praise.  
"Hey guys, what was that thing?"  
"According to Sora, that was another heartless."  
"Wow! Think they're trying harder now?"  
"Looks like it. When we get back, we're going to have to ask Cid to see about tuning up the defenses. Did any get i-"  
"Leon!"  
"Sora? What is it?"  
"That!" Sora was pointing at the wall the fountain was mounted on. Part of the wall was now made of wood, and was rimmed in gold in intricate designs.  
"...Sora, is that-"  
"The designs are a little different, but that's definitely it." Yuffie was confused.  
"What, what is it? And where the hell did it come from?"  
"Sora once told me how his world broke. He mentioned this. If I have it right, that is the door to the world's heart."  
"Are you serious?! If a heartless got in there..."  
"Sora, doors like these are mentioned in the legend of the Keyblade. So far these legends have been accurate enough in the sword's description."  
"So... is it really the heart of the world?"  
"If it is, you should be able to seal it off from heartless using the Keyblade." Sora turned to face the door, and pondered it. Stepping closer, he looked at the Keyblade, which was now pulsing, pointing towards the door. This time though, the pulse was different from the one that pointed him at heartless. A strange noise, similar to singing began drifting through the air and found it's way to Sora's ears. Something was slowly coming into being on the door. A large keyhole, shining brightly. It was strange how looking directly at it didn't blind him. Seeing nothing better to do, Sora walked up to the door, anc balenced himself on the rim of the fountain. Now right next to the door, he raised the Keyblade, and plunged it into the keyhole._  
'Lock the door.'_ He thought, hoping the Keyblade would respond. And then he slowly turned the sword in the keyhole. The Keyblade vanished out of his hands, and Sora almost lost his balence. There was a lound sound of something locking. An then the door vanished. Leon and Yuffie both stared in silence. Then Yuffie broke the silence.  
"Sora... is the Keyblade gone?" Sora hopped down from the fountain, and closed his eyes, feeling out for his hearts. He could feel them both there, and the Keyblade resting inside the second.  
"Yeah, it's still there."  
"Well well, it's locked then? This is an important occasion in that case."  
"Why's that?" Yuffie asked as Sora walked back over to the pair.  
"Well, heartless are simple creatures really. If a heartless were placed in a room with three people, two on one side and one on the other, it would attack the pair first. Because there are more hearts on that side."  
"I know that. Get to the point."  
"I am. Now, the world is a large place, and with it, comes what is presumably a large heart. This is what heartless seek first, and once they get here, they begin gorging themselves on more available hearts until they can find a way into the world's heart to devour that. Since this world's heart has just been sealed off..."  
"Then we're going to be seeing a lot less heartless." Sora concluded.  
"Actually theres a very good chance the attacks will stop altogether. Once the people find out, there's probably going to be a festival of some kind. Guess who's going to be the guest of honor?" Yuffie pat Sora on his spiked head.  
"Oh Sora, this is going to be awesome! This _is_ awesome! You just solved the problem of heartless forever! Leon, I'm going back to tell Aerith!"  
"Go ahead. You are faster then I am."  
"Great! To the rooftops!" And Sora resolved to ask Yuffie how to run on walls. Because that was, without a doubt, freaking amazing. And he exhaled deeply, an unfamiliar feeling in his chest.  
"How does it feel Sora?"  
"... Strange... but good..."  
"Hm... that's exactly how it should feel." Leon smiled again. Twice in one day was an occasion that warrented a festival for itself. "That's what being a hero feels like, I'm told." The fledgling hero looked back at the man, and grinned again.


	10. Ch 8: Finding The Key

_("Hey, Raijinken, forward the story. Or else."_

_Or else WHAT?_

_"Or else, we show everybody the video."_

_What video?_

_"...Last Saturday night."_

_You BASTARD... Fine, it's done._

_"You also have to give us Kingdom Hearts, and Disney."_

_Are you retarded? I don't own either of those! Or anything else!_

_"Well then, video? Meet internet."_

_Nooooooooo!)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Eight: Finding The Key

The day the heartless were banished was a day where every man woman and child danced wildly in the streets, happy and safe. The day after, was the hugest party Sora had ever seen. They had games, food, everything, and there was no charge for anything there because people were just that deleriously happy that the threat was gone. And Sora himself had his back pounded, hands shook, autograph given and cheeks kissed more times then he could keep track of. Every time he passed close to a crowd, it was a whirlwind that left his head spinning after it was over. Women cried tears of joy when their children would no longer have to have the very real threat of having their heart stolen considered whenever that siren went off. Everywhere he walked, he was looked upon with expressions of adoration, pride... he didn't much care for the gazes of a particular group of women. Most of the time they were studying what looked like a small photo album though, so the female staff of Seventh Heaven, provided they kept their distance, could do what they wanted. After that wonderful celebration, Sora slept soundly, and after the following week, the cogs of fate began to slowly turn again.

_ The emerald in his hand shone brightly, twinkling. As he held it and stared into it's depths, songs of the forest played through his mind in tones of whistling wind..._  
"Man, this book _is_ good..." Sora muttered as he turned the page. Moreover, Leon said this book was based on somethiing that really happened. It was humbling to hear that a boy of ten years, a boy younger then _him_, had accomplished something as amazing as the destruction of that gigantic parasite. Sora realized that he had done something epic as well, but not only did he have help, he was wielding a legendary weapon. This boy was wielding a lost treasure, but the book didn't mention any spells or charms that the small sword held. All it mentioned was the metal that it was made out of._  
'Mythril... wonder if that actually exists? Bet Leon could tell m- hang on...'_  
"Hey Cid?" Sora addressed the lancer, who had just walked into the toom, unlit cigarette in his mouth.  
"What is it kid?"  
"Leon told me that this book is baised on a true story. It mentions something called mythril, but I've never heard of it. You work with metal so..."  
"Ah, mythril. The metal is a bit rare, considered precious like silver or gold. Thing about mythril is, it's precious for completely different reasons. How does that there book mention it? What's made out of it?"  
"A sword."  
"Not surprising. Mythril is a metal that rarely dulls or breaks and is easy to enchant. You can tell mythril by the blue tint in the metal. Mythril has a variety of uses, all the practical ones having something to do with battle. Make a weapon out of it, or make a charm or talisman, armor... deadly weapons, protective armor, vital accessories, things like that can do wonders."  
"Huh... what kinda charms?" Cid raised an eyebrow.  
"You interested? I _could_ make you something if you paid me you know. Me and the moogles are damn good, no fooling. Problem is, you'd have to get it enchanted yourself. The charms could be anything from a chain, a necklace, bracelet... people are fond of rings for some reason, but they'd get in the way I think."  
"Hm... about the enchantments? I don't know anything about magic. I mean, I've only seen two spells, I think..."  
"Huh? Which ones?"  
"Well... Leon said one of them was Stop. He used it on me when we met, to get the Keyblade away from me. And then when we were fighting that army of heartless, he used another one, this really big fireball. Ginormous explosion on the other end."  
"Ah, sounds like Firaga. Just about one of the most powerful bits of black magic there is. Least, it is in one of the schools..."  
"Schools?"  
"Mm. I personally don't use any magic. But I do know that there are several ways of using magic itself. Some people can, and some people have absolutely no ability whatsoever. But, the different methods... it's a lot like my lance. I fight with my own style, but if I learned from a teacher, I'd be using _his_ style. A different teacher would teach me a different style. When we were on our world, there was only one method of magic, but then when our world broke we learned of the existence of several different magic schools, styles. Just like styles of martial arts." Cid stretched back in the chair he had seated himself in, and cracked his neck before continuing. Something about teaching the kid something new made the ship builder feel good. Maybe this was why Leon spent so much time on the kid... "There are some forms of magic that rely specifically on the user, and their stores of energy. And in order to get more of that energy, they have to train in specific ways. There are other forms of magic that rely completely on the environment around the user, and they gather raw magic, mana, fonons, force, or borrowing the power of spirits, however they've termed it and called it. Problem with those schools is that sometimes they simply can't be used on some worlds, because physics and laws differ slightly. But at times, they tend to get better results."  
"Our method of magic, meaning Yuffie and Aerith, we use a catylist called materia. Makes use of the body's natural store of energy, and shapes it into a force. Be it a Cure, or a Firaga. Lots of different kinds of materia, and each can manipulate magic in different ways. Sometimes it isn't even always magic either. Now, I don't use magic..." Cid stretched out his muscled arm and Sora noticed a few bright lights within. "...but that doesn't mean I don't use materia. Since they're a catylist, and my energy isn't doing anything, I can use this materia to make use of it. This one, makes it so I don't tire out as easily. This one here, that makes my reaction time better. My reflexes get great with this baby. And this other one... this one's a little weird." Cid put a hand on the glowing spot in question, and gently pulled back. In a brilliant flash of light, not unlike that of the Keyblade. What was once an empty hand, now held a purple spherical crystal.  
"This one apparently makes you lucky. Now, I don't much believe in luck, really. Still, it's nice to think something's looking out for you besides yourself when you're alone. I never really noticed a change though, when I put it in. Here, why don't you try it for a while?" Wait, what?  
"Huh? Ah!" Sora yelped in suprise as he leaned forward to catch the tossed crystal before it hit the ground.  
"Thing about materia, the number you can use at once depends entirely on the person's level of strength. Everybody should be able to use at least one though. Just shove it in, not too hard though. Somebody put in a Fire materia too fast once, blew his arm clean off. He put it in like he was _trying_ to hit his arm off though, probably thought it was macho." Sora turned his head to look again at the crystal.  
"The negative effects of slamming a materia in depends on the materia. I have no idea what that one will do if you don't rub it the right way, so best be careful. Don't worry, you aren't gonna die, just give it a try." Well... Cid was sure alright. And putting this thing into his arm would make him lucky? Sounded like a good deal, that was for sure. Sora gently rested the tennis ball sized crystal just above his left wrist, and gently pushed in. Despite the ball being a very similar size to his skinny arm, it seemed to go in without sticking out at all. And Sora felt a rush of... something, he couldn't place the feeling. But something had changed. The feeling faded quickly, and Sora felt normal, like nothing had changed except for the purple light in his arm, which faded too. It was as if nothing had happened after something like ten seconds.  
"There ya go. It's a part of you now, centered where you put it in. You can take it out just as easy. Now, I'll let you hold on to that for a while, tell me if you notice a difference. I'm curious now. But yeah, back over to mythril, enchantments are a lot like the effects of my materia. They improve your physical and mental abilities in different ways. The effect depends on the spells cast, and the potency depends on the talent of the caster."  
"You sure know a lot about it..." Cid thumped an arm to his chest in a show of pride.  
"I'm a craftsman kid, and a damn good one. The moogles taught me well. Gotta know the trade, and they're bitchin teachers too."  
"Hm... but you said you don't use magic. How do you enchant?"  
"Oh, the moogles usually do that. Or if you pay a little extra, I can get a professional to do it."  
"Like who?" As if summoned, the door knocked a few times.  
"Like that guy. Best wizard I know. Magic-wise, he's stronger then Aerith. Course, he can't throw a punch worth shit... Go and invite the man in, I'm getting a few drinks out." Sora picked up his book, and slipped a bookmark into his place. Satisfied, he stood and walked towards the door. On the other side stood what Sora could only describe as a stereotype.  
"Ah, hello there! Hang on... I don't believe I've had the pleasure! Merlin, master wizard, at your service."  
"Oh, my name's Sora."  
"And a splendid name it is too. Could you tell me if there is anyone else home?"  
"Leon's putting the finishing touches on a roof across town, Yuffie's delivering a piano, and I _still_ don't know how she's doing it on the rooftops..."  
"A conundrum indeed..."  
"And Aerith's managing the bar. Cid's here though, come on in." And the old man did. And he was indeed a stereotype of wizards Sora had seen in several storybooks. Long pointy hat, robes, and a white beard that you could play jump rope with. Still, Cid said this man was powerful, so Sora believed him. He adjusted his spectacles, and made himself comfortable in the living room, as Cid came back in with a bottle and a pair of glasses. Whiskey, if Sora read the bottle right from the distance. There were only two glasses though, so he guessed he wasn't getting any.  
"Ah, Cid, how have you been?"  
"Oh, you wouldn't believe how good it's been if I told you."  
"Well, you are going to have to try to sound convincing then. What is it then?" The old man leaned forward, looking quite interested.  
"First, let me introduce the kid. Or have you already given your name to Sora?"  
"We have. Forgot to shake hands though... do you mind?" Sora did not.  
"Well there you go. Anyway, this kid comes falling out of the sky... getting close to a month back now, after his world broke. Leon recruited him."  
"Recruited him you say? You mean he fights..."  
"Oh, he fought alright."  
"Deplorable... have things gotten that bad? Oh, have my wards failed, is that why you needed the help of a child?"  
"Oh, he ain't no ordinary kid, this one. And you won't have to worry about your monthly checkup on those wards of yours anymore 'neither. Sora, show him." It was obvious what the craftsman was getting at, so Sora sought out his heart, and pulled... _fwash!_ And into his hand the Keyblade appeared.  
"Oh! What is _this_ then...?"  
"You should know better then all of us. This here is the Keyblade." Behind the spectacles, Merlin's eyebrows rose impossibly far.  
"...You _must_ not be serious Cid... _this_..." The wizard slipped off his spectacles, and examined the Keyblade more thoroughly. His eyes gleamed oddly...  
"Sora! I'm home, meet me in the training room in twenty minutes!"  
"Ah, Leon! Please, tell me Cid isn't joking! If he's telling the truth, this is astounding!"  
"Oh, Merlin? Is it that time of the month already?"  
"Who cares?! Is this the Keyblade?!" Leon walked into the room, and upon taking in the scene, nodded.  
"That is indeed the Keyblade. We know it for sure, now more then ever."  
"Leon, whatever do you mean by that?"  
"Sora singlehandedly used it to seal off the world's heart just last week. Before that, it cut right through a heavily armored heartless as if it were made of butter."  
"How is that any different then normal?"  
"The first time I hit it, I _dented_ it."  
"After that...?"  
"I slashed _harder_."  
"I see... and the heartless, they are attracted to it?"  
"Like chocobos to greens." Cid chimed in. "The day Sora sealed off the heart, we barely saw any heartless at all. The plaza where Leon and the kid were, looked like a dragon threw a fukkin' tantrum for a few hours."  
"There _were_ several. More then I had ever seen in an attack. Then that large one..."  
"You believe it was there for the Keyblade?"  
"No, it was just there with the others I'm sure. The first time Sora fought heartless here, we saw nothing out of the ordinary."  
"Hm..." There was silence for a good few minutes. Finally, Sora got up the courage to say something.  
"Uh... Merlin? Could I ask you something?"  
"Of course."  
"You're good at magic, right?" The man scoffed. Though not arrogantly.  
"My boy, every school of magic I have ever heard of, I have achieved nothing less then master rank. All except for summoning, but... Most summoned monsters and spirits are particular about their masters. For some reason, none will ally themselves to me. Why, did you have a question?"  
"Is it difficult to learn magic?"  
"It depends on the school, and what materials you have at your disposal if such are needed. Are you considering learning?"  
"Yeah..." Sora said timidly.  
"Hm..." Merlin once again removed his spectacles, and looked Sora over. With something of a grave look, he replaced them.  
"Sora, I am afraid I can teach you nothing."  
"Oh, that's alright, I wasn't asking you to teach me. I'll pick up a few books, maybe-"  
"No, you misunderstand. You are incapable of magic." You could hear a pin drop. The man was mercilessly blunt.  
"...You sure old man? I've never heard of somebody being unable to use magic before." Cid said, a pensive look on his face.  
"You would be surprised. Sora, before your world broke, had you ever heard of magic before?"  
"No, never. I barely believed it when I was told that's what it was."  
"Then your world may have been one of a minority. There are several different schools of magic because there are several different kinds of magic, some unique to only one world at all. Sora, your world may have been one where magic didn't exist. A magical dead-zone, so to speak. Since you inhabited that world, you would be magically barren. Of course, that may not be the case. There are also cases where it is simply impossible to use any sort of magic, a hindrance that some are born with."  
"You're joking."  
"And... whatever the cause, it this rare case happened to the _Keyblader_?"  
"Indeed."  
"...Well... Fuck... What are the odds? Looks like somebody out there hates you good Sora. Either that, or he likes watching you squirm. Sick bastard. Probably thinks he's witty, what with the breaking your world, the waitresses, the Keyblade, and now the magical blue balls? What next?"  
"Cid, you aren't helping."  
"What? I feel for the kid, seriously."  
"How could you tell that by just looking at me?" Sora asked Merlin, trying to put whatever sick god twisting reality to his whims out of his mind.  
"Magic."  
"...Ah... well... I can't learn _any_ magic? At all?"  
"You could, but it would be difficult, very much so. There are specialized schools of magic, and you could make yourself capable of these. But it would require you to take an item of considerable magical power, and use that as the catylist. This item would have to be permanantly bonded to you as the result of a taxing and dangerous ritual."  
"...You mean like this?" Sora held up the Keyblade.  
"... Why... why yes, exactly like that... Perhaps I _could_ teach you something... One school comes to mind that may be perfect for you. I doubt you've heard of the mystic knights, but they were a group of specialized magi. Few exist today, but their art of enchanting swords for magical attacks was formidable, much more so if the weapon in question had magical ability of it's own..."

"Don't relax your guard Sora, even if I'm not trying to kill you." Leon said, preparing to strike. Sora nodded, and prepared himself to counterattack. It was their time for training, after a lesson from Merlin. This was their first time using live steel. And as an added bonus, they were training outside, in the park. It was something that appealed to Sora somehow...

"We've looked _everywhere_. Why wouldn't the King give us more clues then to look for a key? It could mean anything..."  
"Well, he _did_ say we would know it when we saw it." Goofy replied, leaning against a tree in a park. So far, every world they searched turned up nil. And there were so many worlds left to search... "And look on the bright side. We got to see a lot of new places. And there's a good chance we'll find _something_ here. It's where a lot of things end up after worlds break. There's gotta be lots of things we could use, even if there ain't a key here."

Swords clashed, over and over again. The Keyblade moved in the practiced motions, which by now were beginning to feel more comfortable to him. As he fought, he began gathering energy into the sword._  
"Let the Keyblade be your focus. It should be simple, if it is as bonded as you claim. Just like a part of yourself."_ The Keyblade _was_ a part of him. And it was true, though the Keyblade was the only part of him he could channel into to begin with._  
"Change the energy, bend it, mould it. The energy is as much a part of you as the Keyblade is. It will become magic. Magic you will then turn on your enemies." _Slowly, as he was still learning, the energy began to change into a form of offensive magic. Merlin had told him that he was most atributed to lightning, a common element. As such, it was the element that was easiest for him to use._  
"Now, unleash._"  
"Hah!" And then, the magic became unstable. The spell lost form, and was not what Sora had intended it to be._  
"Ah... that did not work out as planned... you did do it right... perhaps I forgot a step..."_ Even so, the attack was somewhat destructive, and Leon got the hell out of the way. Electricity destroyed the ground where he was once standing. Then, a slash to the outstretched Keyblade sent it flying.  
"Badly executed. The way you struck left your grip awkward. Next time, keep a better hold."  
"Ah... yeah..."

"We aren't going to find it here. It's probably going to take years. There are so many worlds out there."  
"We could find it at any time. The King probably wouldn't stick us with a quest unless it was possible."  
"I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying that it's going to be hard! We are searching for one key, one, amongst hundreds of worlds! It's not going to fall into our laps!" _Thunk_. "...Or... fly and almost take off your head..." Goofy reached up, and pulled out the giant key that had just flown out of nowhere.  
"Well... he did say we'd know it when we saw it. This looks pretty much like what we're after."  
"And look! It's the sign of Disney Castle!" True enough, dangling from the key's handle were three circles, shaped like their king's head. "This must be it! Quick, let's get back in the gummy ship. We need to find the King!"  
"Hey! That's mine!" Goofy and Donald turned to see a boy running to them, waving an arm in the air. "Hey, sorry about that. I guess I should've been more careful. Can I have that back?"  
"Sure." Goofy said, holding out the Keyblade. Donald promptly snatched it out of his outstretched hand.  
"What are you doing!? We need this!"  
"But he says it's his. Maybe it's not what we're looking for?"  
"It _has_ to be!" Donald turned to Sora. Since this was a world that knew of the existence of other worlds, he was allowed to pull rank. "You. What's your name?"  
"...Sora."  
"Well, Sora. We have been ordered by King Mickey to search for this key. As such, it's important that, now that we have it, we take it to him immediately. You understand?"  
"No."  
"...Why not?"  
"No, I understand. What I'm saying is that you can't have it."  
"... Then by my authority as advisor to his Majesty, King Mickey the First, I am hereby confiscating this key until such a time as we no longer need it."  
"Donald...? I'm pretty sure the King wouldn't want us to steal..."  
"It has to be done. He'll get it back when the King's done with it."  
"You aren't taking it." Sora said, stubornly.  
"We need this key far more then you do. You'll be compensated, I'm sure-"  
"You aren't taking the Keyblade."  
"The what...?" Donald looked at the key again in shock. This Sora had just called it the Keyblade. The same spoken of in legends...? "If this is _the_ Keyblade, then this is without a doubt what our King is after. We are taking the Keyblade. Our king has ordered it."  
"Then your King is a spoiled jerk, who will _not_ be getting what he wants this time." Donald's jaw hit the floor. Goofy however, spoke up.  
"Naw, he isn't. The King barely asks for anything. He said that finding the key was important, so it's probably going to end up saving people. That's usually how it goes, after all."  
"Well, even if he is as good as you say, you can't have the Keyblade. I can't risk it falling into the wrong hands."  
"Why are our hands the wrong ones?!" Donald yelled. The boy was quickly making him angry.  
"I don't know you. You might even be lying about the King, about everything. I don't trust either of you."  
"You know, he's got a good point there."  
"Goofy, you are _not_ helping. Look, we have the Keyblade now, so it's coming with us. Understand?" _Fwash!_ "...What?!"  
"Well, I have the Keyblade now. So it's coming back with me. Understand?"  
"Give it back!" _Fwash!_ "Wait, where did it go?! What did you do with it?!"  
"Put it away. Oh, hey Leon!"  
"Sora, who are these people?"  
"Don't know, don't care. They're trying to steal the Keyblade."  
"Oh? And why would they be doing that?" His gaze grew cold. If something as important as the Keyblade was involved, he may have to kill these two. Sora wouldn't be able to.  
"Because we were ordered to!"  
"Uh, Donald? We weren't ordered to steal it. Just find it and bring it to the King."  
"_Not. Helping._"  
"But couldn't we always just leave it here, and go get the King? It's not going anywhere if Sora can make it disappear like that."  
"But that's not what we were ordered to do!"  
"Who ordered you?" Leon interupted.  
"His Majesty, King Mickey the First!"  
"Prove it."  
"This letter! Now you see we can take it!" Donald produced the letter that had charged them with finding the Keyblade in the first place. Leon took it, read it over, and sighed.  
"...It looks like we have a lot to talk about, in that case. Follow me."  
"Huh? Where are we going Leon?" Sora asked, confused.  
"Home. This is going to take a long itme to resolve I can already tell. I want my comfy chair." Nobody argued. Though, nobody in the right mind would argue with a man still holding his gunblade.


	11. Ch 9: Taking Leave

_(Ladies and Gentlemen, one night when I was roaring drunk, I said that I owned Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. And I joked about ripping out Jack Thompson's liver and feeding it to him. Both were lies and jokes._

_Jack took the violent thing seriously._

_Said night also never happened and I've never been drunk in my life._

_Jack still took the violent thing seriously. Retard.)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Nine: Taking Leave

"Alright, I believe I have the story so far."

"So you know why we need to take the Keyblade." Donald stated. It was wonderful there was a man with sense on this small world.

"I do. It remains however, that you can't." Oh, spoke too soon.

"...Why can't we?"

"A weapon that can supposedly break worlds all on it's own, and you ask me why we can't hand it off to anyone who asks?" This Leon made a very good point. Donald sighed. His temper couldn't ignite here, because it was a sound argument this man was making. The only way it could be defeated was to make a sound argument of his own.

"We've been assured by our King that this a matter of proportions that can't be ignored. You know that the King is a trustworthy character, right?"

"Despite never meeting the man in question personally, I do know that he is well loved. This is not a world under his rule however, and as such, his orders are no good here if you try to pull rank. However..." He began, before Donald could take that comment as a personal insult, "That is not why you cannot have the Keyblade." Sora sat on the side, watching the exchange, beside the duck's companion who had named himself Goofy. Idly taking a piece of candy out of a bag from his stash, he offered it to the... dog? He didn't quite know. However, Goofy accepted it gratefully, and reached into a pouch at his side, extracting a few pieces of a different kind, perhaps from his own world. The trade was completed, and Sora made a note to ask about the new kind of sweet later.

"Well... why exactly can't we take it? If the reason isn't it's power, I assume you trust our word?"

"I do. But the reason isn't the Keyblade, but Sora himself. The Keyblade is bonded to him, irreversibly so. You can't take the Keyblade from him even if you tried. The only hypothetical way I can imagine you could remove the bond, is to kill Sora." A pregnant silence followed. Leon broke it, continuing. "And since you don't even know the nature of this disturbance your King is hinting at, you can't make the decision to attempt taking his life. However... you would not make that choice either way, I can see." Donald nodded somberly. Leon very effectively killed any lighthearted-ness left in the mood, effectively destroying Sora and Goofy's trade route.

"But you realize anyway, we still need the Keyblade. Leon, what do you propose we do?"

"I acknowledge that this is a matter of high importance. As such... Sora, will you lend them the Keyblade? This is your choice first." Sora blinked for a few moments.

"You said that they couldn't take it... would that mean..."

"Yes Sora. These two have a method of traversing worlds, probably given to them for searching for the key they were charged with, and for locating King Mickey the First, after they acquired it. You have one of two choices, either go with them in search for the King, or stay here, and have them find the King on their own and bring him here." Donald looked to Sora, seeming to have mixed feelings. If he went with them, they would have the Keyblade, and would have accomplished half of their mission far sooner then they were expected. One heck of a boon. However... Sora himself may be dead weight. Donald didn't know anything about his abilities, but since he seemed to apprentice under Leon, it was safe to assume that he was inexperienced. If that were so, he would know little or no magic, and Keyblade or not... it might not be a worthwhile investment. Donald sighed, as he saw Sora mull it over.

"I suppose it could be done either way," The duck garbled. "Take some time to make your choice. We've found the Keyblade, we don't have to go anywhere."

"Thanks. So..."

"There are a few more things I'd like to talk to Leon about. Goofy, you restock our supplies and see about fuel, ship maintenance, and anything else that needs taking care of."

"Can do! Sora, do ya know where I could find a mechanic? Could save time if ya did."

"Actually, I've got the perfect guy in mind. Leon, do you know where Cid's shop is?"

"Once you get to Seventh Heaven, keep walking and take your first left. Shouldn't be too hard to miss."

"Thanks. Uh... Goofy's your name, isn't it?" Safe to make sure after all.

"Yup!"

"Alright, lets go then." The pair left the room, chatter beginning sometime after they left the room. Donald waited until they left.

"Leon, if Sora decided to accompany us, would be drag us down?"

"That all depends on _your_ abilities."

"I can say confidently that Goofy and I can take care of ourselves."

"Sora might need an eye on him from time to time, but _I_ can confidently say that with a bit more polishing, he'll be useful."

"... You seem... optimistic..."

"Perhaps that's because I am, as far as Sora is concerned. Heartless though, fall like cards to him, I've seen that much. He'll be overwhelmed like anyone else, perhaps easier then everyone else, chalk it up to experience or lack, thereof... I'm sure you and Goofy are familiar with the concept of teamwork?" Donald huffed an affirmative. "Then keep it in mind. Watch his back, and from personal experience I'll tell you he'll return the favor."

"Then... I suppose we wait and see?" Donald said, sensing that the discussion was closing, and now that the whole thing was over with...

"Not much else we can do." ...he could exhale and relax in the comfy chair. Leon knew what he was doing, bringing them back to these wonderful chairs for crosstalk and negotiation. All his stress seemed to melt away... Until Leon's voice jolted him out of relaxation.

"Buttons underneath the right arm rest." Upon investigating, Donald found the chair's back vibrating a massage through his spine. Oh, he would _definately_ be getting a chair like this for his office.

"You are a very good man."

"Talk to Yuffie, she's not convinced."

"Who?"

"Nevermind."

--

Sora walked into the shop, but having never been there before, he didn't have any idea what to do. He obvious first step was to find another employee, and get Cid's attention through him or her.

"Kupo!" No, no time to play with the large cute stuffed animal hovering by his face wearing a name tag and little yellow vest with the shop's logo on... it...

"Hey, uh... you wouldn't happen to be a moogle, would you?"

"Po!" The thing said, nodding it's head. The red ball on it's head bobbed in time.

"Sorry, you're the first one I've ever seen." It didn't seem to mind, much to Sora's relief. He didn't want to start things off on the wrong foot to an entirely different species. "Say, you know where Cid is, right?"

"Kupo!"

"I've got a customer here for him. Think you could go find him for me?"

"Kupopo!" And off the thing wizzed. As Sora waited, he noticed the glass display cases, and the various ornaments inside. Accessories, chains, rings, and the like shone inside. The gemstones in a few gleamed as if they were brand new. Sora didn't think he had an eye for this sort of thing, but if the moogles did this, they really _were_ good craftsmen. Goofy noticed too.

"Huh, I thought you said that Cid was a mechanic. Looks like a jeweler by the looks of these."

"He's a mechanic and a craftsman he told me. He also told me he's the best ship builder in Traverse Town, so this seemed like a good stop to make."

"Well, here's hopin'. Donald'll throw a fit if the ship stops workin'."

"If I'm on the job, that ship'll never want for nothing ever again!" Cid bellowed, walking into the room, moogle following. "Gomogi here says you brought me buisness. If that's the case, you should come by more often!" Cid laughed. "Now, I hear you want shipwork done? I'm your man. I could take a few soup cans, coffee filters, and beer bottles, make a ship outta that, and it would take you halfway around the universe!" Goofy and Sora both looked sceptical. Rightfully so. "Alright, enough of that bullshit, I'll do good work for ya, how about that?"

"That'll do just fine. Goofy, nice to meet ya."

"Name's Cid. Now, where's your rig parked? You'll have to get it into the docking bay above the shop for me to do any decent work on it. Is your pilot good enough?"

"He's the best we have."

"Well then, I'll open the doors. Go and bring your ship back over here and I'll give it the once over. What do you have in mind?"

"I guess just a checkup, make sure it's in workin' order. Could you also tell me about a place where I could buy medicine? Our stock of potions is getting low."

"I could refer your ass right back over to that counter. We do ship work, outfit accessories, sell items... we're the _ultimate_ travelers outlet here." When Cid got prideful, it was best not to argue. Thankfully, there was nothing _to_ argue so Goofy stepped over to the now moogle-manned counter and asked to see a price list.

"I can take things from here Sora. Be a pal and go tell Donald to bring the ship 'round."

"Sure thing. Bye Cid!"

"See ya later kid. Say, Goofy, if you decided to pay extra, I could make your ship indestructible, you know that?"

"Gwarsh, you mean it? But that sounds pricy."

"It's a damn good investment, if I do say so myself."

"You'd say it was anyway, right? Cause you'd get cash out of it."

"This business is about more then money. Working with my hands is my passion, and ships are the blood that fuels it!"

"...Gwarsh..."

--

"Donald, Goofy told me to tell you that you need to bring the ship around to the shop. I can show you where it is."

"Ah, thanks Sora. What's Goofy doing now though?"

"Cid apparently sells potions and things too. Goofy's restocking while you get the ship."

"Good, good. Oh, Leon, about the chair..."

"I'll write an address down for you later."

"Thank you." Soon, the chair would be his!

"Oh, Sora, before I forget, Merlin gave me a book while you were out on mystic knight techniques. He says you should find it informative." He handed Sora a blue book without a title. Sora grinned, knowing that with this he would probably be able to get down the technique no problem. Soon he'd be making craters just as big as Leon's!

"You're learning magic Sora?"

"Ah... yeah..."

"Hm... mystic knight techniques? An odd choice. Why would you choose that breed of magic over the others? Granted, it's easier to learn then most but..."

"Well, it's kinda the only magic I _can_ learn." Donald raised an eyebrow.

"Is it because of talent?"

"No, it's because I can't learn magic normally. But since I was bonded to the Keyblade, I can use that for the magic instead."

"Can't learn magic? Did this Merlin tell you this?"

"Yeah. Told me that I was... incapable he said, of using magic. Using the Keyblade as a focus he said was the only way I could learn magic."

"Hm... that's very inconvinent. It means that you may never be able to learn curative magic at all."

"Huh... well... at least I get _some_ magic, right?" Sora grinned. "It'll be great to do more then just hit things."

"No, you would still be hitting things. Enchanting swords means that you'll have to hit them in order to use the spell. However... it will be several times more destructive. Like comparing a broom handle and a baseball bat. Both would be used the same way, but the bat would cause a bigger dent."

"Replace dent with explosion though."

"Exactly. And since this spell is composed of your own magic, and not magic of the environment, you will never need to be careful of yourself using it, though if you came along, you _would_ have to be mindful of Goofy. You would be fighting alongside him, after all. Your own magic will never harm you."

"That's good to know. Merlin never mentioned that..."

"I see.. What else didn't your teacher mention?"

"Oh, well... I don't really know. When I ran through the spell, apparently I did everything right. But then at the end, it turned unstable he said. It was still powerful, but Merlin told me it wasn't the spell."

"The spell was incomplete? Hm... Your teacher doesn't seem very capable, if he can't figure out what you're doing wrong."

"Merlin is more then simply capable." Leon said. "He's the most powerful sorcerer I know. However... that isn't to say he's not... absent minded..."

"I see... Well, if he continues to be 'absent minded', I wouldn't mind taking a look at your casting. Even if I'm not as powerful as this Merlin supposedly is, I'm not somebody to ignore."

"Huh... no kidding?"

"No kidding. We'll save that for another time though, right now, I'll need you to show me where this shop is."

"Oh, right! Lets get going!"

To tell the truth, when he stepped onto the gummy ship, Sora expected something right out of a sci-fi movie. And that was sort of what he got, control panel and multiple seats in front of it. Dead center a pilot's spot, it seemed routine, despite the beagle sleeping perfectly balanced on it's spine on top of the wheel. Saying nothing about the coffee maker in the corner, the whole scene didn't betray his expectations.

"Snoopy, wake up!" Donald yelled at the sleeping dog. Sora couldn't help but wonder, if Snoopy was a dog, what did that make Goofy...? Snoopy however, was soon on his feet, yawning.

"We need you to fly the ship- stop!" Snoopy froze, reaching for a glove compartment. "We aren't leaving the world yet. We're just bringing the ship around for maintenance." Snoopy slumped in disappointment. Sora blinked a few times.

"...This is your pilot?"

"He's apparently the best we have. Snoopy, meet Sora. He's our first mission objective." The beagle shook hands with Sora, who couldn't help but admire the little white dog's grip.

"Nice to meet you too Snoopy." Sora said, straightening his back. Snoopy's height caused him to bend down.

"Sora will be directing you to the mechanic. I'll be going back, there's something I need from Leon."

"Huh? What's that?"

"Nothing important... see you both later." And the duck walked out of the ship's bridge. Silence followed, before Sora noticed Snoopy was looking at him, expecting something. He quickly realized what it was.

"Oh, well, after Donald's off the ship... yeah, just over that way. There should be a place to dock, I'm thinking."

--

"So, this is your ship?" Cid said, looking up. The gummi ship in question was slowly lowering itself into the docking bay, via the large opening in the roof.

"Yup, that's the one." Goofy replied, tossing a sweet to the helpful moogle who seemed to be orbiting Cid's head.

"Great. You're just after a check-up ya said? Gomogi! Get my tools!"

"Kupo!" The moogle wizzed off.

"Oh, you won't have to check the engine room."

"Why's that? The engines of gummi ships have a lot of small fragile parts. Since you don't have a mechanic aboard, I should be checking it _twice_."

"Oh, we've got mechanics. They just can't handle the rest of the ship."

"Well why the hell not?"

"They're eight inches tall. Or was it nine... Ten...? They're little, in any case..."

"I see... well, wise choice for engine workers. Little mechanics mean little hands. Harder to mess up if they're good... and if you say you've got the best pilot, I guess they'd hand you good mechanics too."

"I _hope_ they did..."

"Alright!" Cid barked, holding a hand out to the side. Somewhere above him, Gomogi dropped a tool belt. With surprising dexterity, Cid flicked his wrist as he caught it, sending it whirling around. A click, and it was around his waist. "Thanks girl, now, let's get to work!" Gomogi cheered, and flew into the ship as Cid followed at a slower pace. Sora blinked curiously. Up until now, he always thought Cid to be the type preferring to work alone. Well, the moogle seemed happy at least.

"Well, let's let the man work. I've gotta let Donald know about what I spent after all, wanna head back?"

"Yeah, su- woah!" Sora and Goofy leaped out of the way as five more moogles came flying out of nowhere and into the ship, each with some form of tool. The boy was breathing heavily, having almost lost an eye to a screwdriver.

"Alright, now that the gang's here we can- hey! Don't touch that! Put it back! Drop it! No, I didn't mean the hammer!"

"..." Sora figured it was best to get out of there as fast as possible. Goofy looked worried, they only had one ship... He didn't want to find a mechanic to fix what another mechanic had done. Or what seven mechanics had done...

--

"Ah, the moogles. Rambunctious little things, aren't they?" Leon said as Sora recounted the story.

"Even worse then Yuffie..."

"Well, it's a good thing you know the word. It means you're about half way through the book, hm?" Indeed he was. Maybe Cid would make him a Master Sword if he asked really nicely...

"But yeah, the moogles help him repair ships?"

"Not really. In exchange for teaching him how to craft accessories, Cid promised to teach them all about ship building and repair. It's a trade they agreed to early on. Now that Cid's learned and become a competent craftsman, he's been teaching the moogles for months. The moogles are playful though..."

"Huh..."

"Oh, Sora, I was wondering how much thought you had given the offer."

"You mean leaving to look for the King?"

"Yes." Sora suddenly found his shoes very interesting.

"..."

"You don't have to be afraid of this decision. You'll be welcomed back at any time."

"... I think I should go."

"And why is that?" Leon pried. Such an action was unlike him, but Sora didn't notice.

"Riku had already left the world before it broke... and he told me that he was going to take Kairi and me with him... Riku wasn't himself, but..." Sora met Leon's eyes. "Riku wouldn't let Kairi die, or lose her heart, or anything. So they're out there somewhere. I can look for them while we look for this King, and after I find him..." Sora grinned. "If the King's found first, I can ask for a favor, since he needs my Keyblade. If he's such a good guy, he probably wouldn't say no."

"You're coming with us then?" Sora jumped in suprise. Donald had spoken from behind him, and Goofy looked pleased.

"You're welcome aboard the ship Sora. You're gonna help us find the King after all, and he really _wouldn't_ say no if ya asked him for help. He pays back his depts."

"As long as you keep your mind on the mission, searching for your friends shouldn't get in the way." Donald said, nodding to himself.

"So, I'll let the others know, and then get packed-"

"Don't bother."

"Huh?"

"While Sora is leaving, I offer a condition to my letting him go." Sora, confused as to this turn of events, merely looked on as Donald and Goofy stood ready for negotiation. "I demand three days before departure. During that time, I'm going to make sure he won't be a burden." Leon looked serious, booking no argument even though the demand was reasonable to everybody. "It'll also give time for everybody to say goodbye. So far, I am the only one who knows Sora's leaving. This is very sudden." Donald nodded.

"I understand. We'll be staying on the ship." The duck agreed, taking charge of the other side. The tone in Donald's voice suggested he did this often. Perhaps he was used to it, being the King's adviser. "We'll be back three days from now."

"That works. Until then... Sora, come with me."

"Huh? What's up?"

"The ceiling. Get used to seeing it. We're going to the training room." And so began two of the most grueling days of Sora's life.

--

The third day, was given entirely to him. A small party was thrown, since he was leaving for what would probably be a long time into potential dangerous situations because it was very possible they were inhabiting the only sealed world in existence.

"I can't believe my sidekick is leaving! You just couldn't handle all the glory going to me, could you? Sidekick just wasn't good enough anymore, was it?"

"Yuffie, Sora ended heartless attacks indefinitely. He's a bigger hero then all of us."

"Leon, you're no fun. You're not allowed to deflate a girl's argument. No man is. It's against the rules."

"You can put that rule right back up where you pulled it out." The music seemed to stop and all heads swiveled to Leon. That was probably the closest anyone had heard him come to saying something vulgar. Yuffie said nothing in response. After a moment of silence, Cid slapped the other man on the back and handed him a beer.

"You made her stop talking, _and_ you defended men's rights everywhere in one fell swoop! Leon, you son of a bitch, you're my hero for the night! My _king_!" Leon didn't smile. However, he certainly looked satisfied as he popped the cap on the bottle. Go figure.

"Oh, Sora, that reminds me. We have something for you." Aerith said. Sora perked up instantly. Going away presents were awesome, every time. Leon already handed him several books. Aerith had given him a utility belt of sorts, made for holding a few potions and ethers. He got that potions helped heal wounds, but he didn't know what ethers were. He'd ask Donald later. Yuffie had handed him her 'favorite kunai' with a white strip of fabric tied around the ring on the handle. Coincidentally her forehead was bare of headband for the evening. She also spent a half hour teaching him how to throw it, and told him to practice in case he ever wanted to come back to be her sidekick again. Still, being handed a ninja weapon was cool. The only one who didn't give him a present yet was Cid. He wondered if the man was planning on giving him anything... not that he needed gifts or anything...

"Yup, you didn't get my gift yet!"

"Hey, we all pitched in!"

"You had to. Mythril doesn't come cheap ya know!" Sora's eyes widened in surprise as he accepted the box offered to him. Whatever it was, it was made of mythirl? Maybe another knife? He opened the present to find...

"A necklace?"

"Yup. Aerith made sure you'd heal, Leon made sure you'd be entertained, Yuffie gave you something sharp... only thing left is to make sure you're protected. Made that myself." Sora pulled a blue tinted necklace out of the box. The chain was well made, and dangling on the end was a charm in the shape of a three pointed crown. Sora grinned and slipped it around his neck.

"This is awesome either way... but how am I protected?" Cid smirked.

"Well, Leon said that you should wait until you put something on that augments you yourself. Like, makes your eyesight better, improves your reflexes, makes you stronger... he's right too. Best to get used to your own strength first. So, I made that, took it to Merlin, and asked for resistances to be put on it. That thing there, while you're wearing it just about... halves the effects of harmful magic. Now, don't rely on it or nothing, high black magic'll still shoot ya dead, but in case you can't quite get out of the way in time... this _will_ help a bunch."

"Wow... thanks..." Yuffie looked jealous.

"_Halves damage_? Cid, this is something _we_ would've taken into battle! Why does _he_ get the good stuff?!"

"Because, even with it, if you two fought, you would kick his ass six times to yesterday. He needs a chance to get strong, and that necklace will help him get there."

"Oh, good point... Hey, Cid, could you make something like that for me?"

"If you've got the cash, I'd be glad to."

"Hey! We're friends! Where are the perks?!"

"I'd make yours first. It about ends there. Cough up the cash miss, or you'll be seeing no blue crowns until Sora comes back for a visit."

"Cid you inconsiderate jerk!"

"Oh, look at that, mythril just became rarer, and I'll be needing a bigger payment to get my hands on it. Too bad for you."

"Evil old man!"

"And then there's the little thing about my being the best craftsman in the area. It wouldn't be unheard of for me to charge a premium for my work."

"I hope you die."

"You know, it's a little known fact that mythril runs away from bad mannered customers. I'll have to wrestle it down and forge it _brutally_. That's hazard pay, that metal's tough as fuck."

"Don't play with her too much Cid. She's got pink dye and she's not afraid to use it." Sora piped up, finding the whole situation hilarious.

"Nah, I learned from Leon. My drawers are booby-trapped." Cid laughed, putting out a used up cigarette.

"Dammit!" Yuffie then tried very obviously to come up with an attack plan b.

"Yuffie, no plotting tonight. This is a peaceful night, the last one we have with Sora for a long time."

"Yes Aerith."

"How the hell do you do that? Seriously, what's your secret?" Cid asked, puzzled. "You just stopped the _plotting_. You're amazing."

"I'm also a girl. That's step one to being Yuffie's ally." Aerith said with a smile that was too happy as she patted a also smiling Yuffie on the head.

"All men are my enemy. They must be destroyed, or at best, humiliated."

"What about Sora?"

"Sora's too cute to be a man. Until we discover what exactly he is, he is exempt from any and all harmful pranks unless he pisses me off purpose."

"Hey-!"

"Sora, you just got out of pink boxers. Shut up and ride the wave." Leon said sagely as 'One Who Had Suffered.' Sora thought for a minute, shrugged, and sat back down. At least Yuffie wasn't trying to dress him up as a cat maid...

--

The night ended early, since Sora was to have an early start. Packed and ready to leave in the morning, he slept soundly, dreaming idly of two people he wanted to find desperately. His dreams recalled the moment he awoke from the nightmare before the world broke, and found comfort in Kairi and Riku's embrace. Her slim form encased in his embrace, and Riku's strong arms enveloping him from behind... It was something he wanted again so much...

_(And after this, ooh. After this I get creative. Because... worlds... they're coming..._

_Also, you know you were wondering where that necklace was. And it's there! It's... just a little bit blue now? Ah sod off, I want one, you want one, we all want one.)_


	12. Ch 10: Cheshire Grins

_(Alright, rebuttal gone, chapter in. Booya._

_And before that last review, I don't believe I had EVER been praised in any form in Spanish. Bravo, you made me feel special. No joke._

_And now, the first world. And it's a huge hairy coincidence that it's the batshit crazy world. Oh BOY I had fun with this one. Oh nut-bunnies it might just get worse from here... What to do...)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Ten: Cheshire Grins

On the subject of Aerith, Cid, Yuffie, and even Leon, Sora knew admittedly little. Speaking frankly, he hadn't known them all for very long. After his world breaking, they had taken him in right away. This was probably because of the Keyblade, but Sora was still thankful to no meager amount.

Since he lived with them, and since he wasn't particularly anti-social, Sora had little choice but be thrown flailing like a rag doll into their lives. And as such, he had gotten to know them well enough to call each of them friend. Energetic Yuffie made sure he was never bored, and motherly Aerith tried her best to make sure that this entertainment was never at the expense of Leon or Cid. Of course, one could only do so much against a hyperactive 'great ninja'.

Sullen Cid, who was strangely enough prone to random spurts of good mood, treated him well enough. Sometimes as if he were a kid, and other times when Leon wasn't looking, would give him a slap on the back and offer him something alcoholic. Sora refused as politely as he could each time.

And Leon, for whom he didn't really have an adjective for, not that he knew much about grammatical terms but to his credit, neither did a lot of people. Leon had the most involvement in Sora's life, through a combination of training, advice, and general teaching about various parts of multi-world culture. Leon was protective, and Sora wondered if this was what it was like to have a brother. Somebody who taught you things that weren't found in books, and shared a hand in raising a child unnoticed by most parents. Leon offered Sora something he was lacking, and that was experience. By some of the things they talked about, it felt at times that there was little Leon hadn't done. And sometimes Sora couldn't help but listen intently, in case he found himself in similar situations and in need of a sound decision.

There was an odd feeling, but one strangely satisfiying as the man saw him off with the others. It was comparable to watching, or being shown how to do something, and then later attempting it on your own. A feeling of... not _quite_ accomplishment but... something close.

He bade them farewell, and they did in turn. He was welcome back at any time, and Donald said that since good work was done on the ship and that the supplies were affordable enough, that this might become a regular pit-stop. They were however well stocked... so such a visit would be a long time coming unless an emergency occurred.

He turned to study Donald for a few moments. For all intents and purposes, the duck seemed to be in charge. However, Goofy's reactions didn't seem to be that of a lackey. Donald said that something should be done, and instead of following orders, Goofy nodded and would see about it because it was a sound thing to pay attention to. Donald seemed to shirk a bit of manual labor as far as work loads went, but he wasn't outright irresponsible with being trusted as a decision maker. He was capable.

_'Well, he has to be...'_ Sora mused. After all, Donald was apparently adviser to a monarch. And a good monarch too, who wouldn't choose such a high position for a incapable friend. Sora couldn't tell if Donald was on friendly terms with the King, but he seemed like he would fit into his job rather nicely.

Goofy, was captain of the guard, and it was easier to tell that he was friends with King Mickey the First. He was also relaxed, good natured, and possessed a mellow temperament. He really didn't strike Sora as a fighter, but if Donald fit into his role, Mickey might've picked well for the captain too. Maybe it was one of those things where the situation transformed him into somebody to fear? Fear... Taking a closer look at the knight, Sora couldn't for the life of him imagine ever being afraid. Time would tell perhaps...

They had been flying for some time now, and Sora found himself grateful for Leon's gift. Since there wasn't enough room to properly practice sword motions, and practicing magic was best done in an area where destruction was acceptable, the books that Leon had given Sora were all he had in the form of entertainment. There _was_ the book he had received from Merlin... but if he looked at that, he would want to try out whatever it taught him, and that couldn't be done just yet. Best to save it until he could practice.

"Hey, Donald? How long will it be until we get to the next world?" Donald looked over, clearly anticipating a question like this.

"We have a good ship, but it will still take time. The worlds are far apart. We'll be flying for at least a few more days."

"... How many worlds will we be checking?"

"Every one we see."

"Oh... well, is that a world down there?" Sora said, pointing out the ship's front window. Sure enough, down to their left was a world that appeared to be enveloped in colorful fog.

"... It is..."

"Shouldn't we land there then?" Goofy asked. To a lot of people, the question could be taken as something spiteful, or arrogant in asking. As if insinuating that the leader was incompetent and unfit for duty. However, nothing Goofy said was ever in any kind of spite as the unofficial leader knew, and the tag-along was learning.

"We should." Donald answered. "Snoopy, make a note of this world on the charts to keep our bearings when you get the chance. In the meantime, find a secluded area to touch down. Goofy, Sora, now would be a good time to make sure you're prepared." Sora went to go get the potions he was given, when he felt a tug on his jacket from behind.

"Sora, Goofy already knows this, but since this world isn't recorded on our chart beforehand, it probably hasn't realized space travel. Do not mention the gummi ship, the other worlds... anything. Am I clear?"

"Yeah."

"This is important. We are not allowed to affect the growth of other worlds. Giving them something to shoot for would accomplish precisely this." Sora nodded again, and made a mental note to be careful. Donald was being very serious about this, and since Sora was still getting a feel for... just about _everything_, it would be best to follow orders.

"I'll be careful."

"Good. Now, prepare for any situation. Leon told me that Heartless are attracted to the Keyblade, so put that new potion belt to good use. Later on, we'll work on your magic." Well _that_ perked him up. Learning how to control that force Sora felt building behind the Keyblade made him excited every time. Probably since he had seen first hand how effective magic was at destroying heartless.

"Alright!"

"Huh... how the heck did we end up in here?" Sora asked. He could've sworn that when they had landed, it was in the middle of a grassy field. Stepping off the gummi ship though, the trio instead found themselves standing in the middle of a round room, with a pink and purple checkered floor and wooden walls. The only things in the room worth noticing was a table with a pair of bottles, and a small door that appeared to be made for someone of a mouse's size.

"Let's look for another place to land. There's no way out in he... what?!" Donald had turned around to find that the gummi ship was gone. The round room had no way out, or in.

"Hm... where do you think the ship went?" Goofy asked, calm as ever.

"...I'm still wondering how we got in here in the first place."

"Maybe we fell?" Goofy pointed straight up. Sora and Donald noted the complete lack of ceiling.

"Wow... it's like a bottomless pit. 'Cept we're on the bottom...? More like a topless pit." Sora said, before walking over and checking the walls.

"Sora, what are you doing?"

"Checking for a false wall."

"Let me." Donald said, raising his staff. "_Dispel!_" A white dome of magic burst from the tip of Donald's staff and moved outwards. However, nothing changed.

"What kind of spell was that?"

"It destroys any enchantments the dome passes."

"Huh... wait, what?!" Sora yelled in a panicked tone. "My necklace!"

"Sora, don't worry. If Merlin is any sort of wizard worth his salt, and he is, given the strength of the enchantments themselves, there are anti dispel wards placed on it. There are on all accessories."

"So it's ok?"

"No matter how many times I cast the spell, you'll still have your protection."

"Good..." It seemed a little selfish to be that worried, to Sora at least... but Yuffie implied that the enchantments placed on the necklace were especially powerful. He felt very lucky to have it.

"Either way... there are no illusions in this room. Or at the least, they're especially complex... beyond me, in that case."

"Are you trying to get out?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped, looking around frantically to find the cause of whoever asked the obvious question. That nasally voice belonged to none of them.

"It is terribly rude not to answer a question. It's even worse to outright ignore the question, did you know that?"

"Uh... where are you?"

"Down here." Of course. The door was talking to them. Obvious. Well, Sora would probably see stranger things then this, trapising from one world to the next, so, best to just accept and move on.

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, we're trying to find the way out."

"Well, it seems quite foolish that you would not consider a door an adequete way of egress, don't you agree?"

"Well... we can't fit through you, I'm pretty sure."

"Well of course not, you are far too large." Duh. Sora couldn't voice his actual opinion though, at the risk of insulting the door and remaining trapped forever.

"Then... you wouldn't be a good way out. Because we're too big."

"You aren't considering potions."

"... Donald, do we have anything that can shrink us?"

"No, we don't. Goofy, I don't suppose you bought anything like that...?"

"Just healing supplies. I didn't think we'd need something to shrink."

"Donald, is a shrinking potion even possible?"

"Well... wait, what am I thinking? _Mini!_" Donald raised the staff again. Suddenly the door seemed a much more adaptable size.

"Well, I haven't seen _that_ trick before now. Normally people use the potions on the table."

"... It doesn't seem smart to drink something if you don't know what it is."

"But I told you they were potions just now."

"..." Sora couldn't think of a good counter-argument.

"Well, now that we're the proper size, will you let us through?" Donald asked, beginning to get irritated with the door.

"If I must, I must. I really _would_ like to begin napping again..." And it swung open to reveal a road in a dark forest.

"Alright, hey could you tell us where this road leads?"

"No."

"... Don't you think _that's_ rude?"

"Not at all. I haven't the foggiest where that road goes. I've never asked anyone coming or going, and to make matters worse, the land takes the idea of a map as an insult and likes to change in order to make it pointless. One time when I looked outside, there was a beautiful country lane where the flowers sang to greet the sun. Another time I was at the bottom of the ocean. Made it very hard to nap, what with fish chattering away at me. You would be quite surprised how talkative they are..." The door yawned. "Now... I really must be getting back to sleep now. Good luck, I suppose." The face under the doorknob vanished, and the door said nothing more.

"...Alright... well, this is the only way to go. Let's see if we can't find direction-... wait, if the land changes, directions are useless... _how_ does the land _change_?" Donald asked, more to himself then anyone else.

"That door doesn't seem the type to lie. I guess we should just walk until we find something interesting." Goofy said, adjusting the shield on the back of his belt, and making to move. Sora wondered to himself just where Goofy's weapon was. He had a shield, but... He didn't seem to have a sword. Concealed knives perhaps? He had one, the kunai he had received from Yuffie, bound to his wrist underneath his brown jacket sleeve. The ninja, bless her heart, had also shown him a few fun ways to make sure weapons weren't found right away. If his wrist failed, he could hide it a few other ways. Had to do it carefully though, that kunai could split hairs. Sora shook his attention back into his head, and realized that he was being left behind. A short jog had him cought up with his companions, and they began traversing the forest.

Hours later, they were still traversing the forest, and wondering if they hadn't gotten anywhere at all. They never passed somewhere that looked familiar, they just kept walking along the red road, and while they did, they couldn't help but feel as if they were getting nowhere.

"Hey... do either of you have a compass? Or anything like that?" Sora asked after a while.

"Why?" Goofy asked, obviously not carrying one.

"Well... I'm wondering if we're even walking the same way all the time. I mean... wouldn't we have come to the end yet?"

"It could be a very big forest."

"Yeah, but... wait, what's that noise?" Sora said, straining his ears. Goofy had apparently already noticed the noise and was staring in front of them, into the darkness. The noise was getting closer, and... it sounded like...

"...Sweeping?" Donald asked, confused. It was a bit out of place in an area like this. What was also out of place was the short hand brush walking towards them, sweeping the road clean.

"Well... I guess the road gets dirty..." Donald said. He seemed surprisingly nonplussed by the walking brush. Sora wondered if he was used to this sort of thing. The idea of several bipedal brooms walking around Disney Castle however, seemed a little bit ridiculous.

"Wait a minute... what's behind it?" Goofy asked.

"Nothing, why?"

"Hm... shouldn't there be road behind it?"

"Wait, what?!" Upon closer inspection, the road was not being swept clean, but instead being swept away, out of existence. In it's wake, the small brush left undisturbed forest ground. It was as if there was never a road there in the first place.

"Alright, somebody explain to me how that's possible!" Sora demanded, only half seriously. If Donald could provide an explination, it would be _most_ welcome.

"I... I don't know...!" Donald stuttered. Well, that ruled out the occurrence being magical. By now, the brush had walked up to them, and realized that they were in it's way. Side stepping them, it walked around until it was directly behind the trio, and began sweeping again. Nothing could be said, until it had walked out of sight. The only road left was the section they were standing on.

"Well... what now?" Goofy asked. "Can't follow a road that's been swept away..."

"Indeed. And the road you're standing on no longer goes anywhere."

"Ah! Who said that?!" A voice had sounded from no discernible direction, and had kept speaking as if it had not been interrupted.

"Of course, the whole point of a road is to go somewhere, meaning that what you are standing is no longer a road. But then, are you somewhere at all right now? Or nowhere?" It had a point of origin now, and it was coming from above them. Sora looked up to see a floating mouth, on it's own, suspended in mid air. And it was smiling... grinning a creepy sort of grin. Looking at it, Sora couldn't help but think of the grin of an insane man.

"Donald... Goofy, do either of you know what that thing is?"

"If you are nowhere, it's going to be difficult going anywhere from here. But if you are somewhere, it'll be easy to go nowhere. Why, you're going nowhere right now! Though... how would you know when you've gotten there? Unless you're nowhere right now?" A pair of large yellow eyes appeared above the mouth, creating most of a face.

"I've never heard of a creature like this before. It doesn't appear hostile though."

"Come to think of it, I have no idea where you're headed at all. Of course, it's a different story altogether if _you_ don't know. Then you could be going anywhere. And as we both know I'm sure, it's much simpler to go anywhere then it is to go somewhere or nowhere."

"It also doesn't appear _sane_." At least they could see it now. A striped pink and purple cat lay on a tree branch, grinning as if it was about to go postal and slaughter the residents of an orphanage. In a good way though. That didn't make it any less... _eerie_... though...

"Well, ignoring him for a second... wait, we could ask him for directions, couldn't we?"

"Can you stand on your head?" Looking again at the cat, they noticed with a sense of '_how the hell...?_' that it was doing just that. Balancing on one foot, on it's own disembodied head.

"...I don't want to go anywhere that thing tells me to go."

"Well... we won't get anywhere otherwise."

"Oh, you're going anywhere? You're doing a splendid job!"

"No, actually, we don't really know where we're going." Goofy said, addressing the cat.

"Oh, that _is_ a problem."

"Since we don't know where we're going, a good place to try going would be a place with more people."

"That's debatable. There are rather unsavory characters out there that are better avoided. Have you ever heard of the Walrus and the Carpenter? I heard about them from a set of twins shaped like a pair of beach balls. Ooh, such a tale was that..."

"Could you tell us instead where we can find some good people then?" Donald said, perhaps cutting off the tale's retelling in the process.

"Define good."

"Huh?"

"There are several different definitions of the word 'good'. How would _you_ describe good people?" The cat asked, as it screwed it's head back on. "There are some who are very picky about their good people, demanding all sorts of things in return for nothing. Ironically, these picky fellows aren't generally good people themselves." Donald considered this. A careful answer would be best in the face of this creature. It would very obviously take everything they said in the most literal sense possible.

"Could you point us toward some hospitable people, with pure intentions and happy dispositions?"

"Oh, there are people like that in these very woods. At one time there was a road that lead to them, but it doesn't seem to be here anymore." The cat began to disappear, from the tail up towards it's head. Quickly enough, all that remained were a large pair of yellow eyes, and a carefree, maddening grin.

"Well, which way do we go then?" Sora asked.

"Follow your heart, of course." The cat answered, eyes locking meaningfully onto Sora before they vanished. "Be sure to watch your necks. In this land, they have a tendancy to let go of your heads. And then they won't go back on either." And the mouth vanished as well. The cats voice remained, singing a song that echoed, and faded as it seemed to move away.

"Well, which way does your heart point Sora?" Goofy asked. Sora didn't really know how to answer.

"The cat might not've meant Sora's heart specifically. Though... he _did_ seem to pay an-" _Fwash! _Donald was interrupted as the Keyblade flashed into Sora's hand. Watching the boy questioningly, Goofy and Donald both remained silent as he walked up to a rock jutting out of the ground.

"Follow my heart... We don't know where the road would've turned later on, and we can't retrace our steps, so..." Sora balanced the Keyblade perfectly on the stone, and slapped the guard to start it spinning. "... So, let's see where my heart points us." And so round and round the Keyblade spun, and again and again, Sora wondered if he was interpreting the advice of the cat correctly. Eventually, the sword stopped, and pointed a direction. It vanished, back into the recesses of Sora's being, and the three started walking towards an unknown destination, thinking it was as good a place to start as any. The cat's song finally fell silent as they walked, and the three were truly alone again.

_(That cat is one of the greatest things in that entire story. In THIS entire story. You freaken know it's true._

_... Can YOU stand on your head?)_


	13. Ch 11: Crashing The Tea Party

_(Ladies, Gentlemen, and all that other stuff I listed in my profile. Bear with me._

_In this chapter, I introduce a character that I know is going to be met with resistance from the general public, and I KNOW this because of a review or two I received in the past. My comments on the matter will be at the end of the chapter. I ask that your final judgment be postponed until at least after you've read that. Consideration is appreciated._

_Now, without any more fetal position on my part, I present you with the next chapter._

_Anything that has a copyright is copyrighted to their respective owners. The only difference is now__ there's something else to disclaim.)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Eleven: Crashing The Tea Party

"A mercenary?" Asked a cerain pirate, sceptical that such a decision was wise. One, however, did not insinuate such about the dark queen Maleficent however, if one valued his life.

"Of a sort. He will help us, provided we help him. A simple bargain, simply upheld."

"That all depends on what he's after." Another figure asked, tall, lanky, and carrying a staff of some sort. "And whether or not it's worth it. Has he proven himself to be better then a common street rat?" Jafar chose his words carefully, Maleficent noticed. And she was pleased to note that the man wasn't fearful. He simply did not want to see her angered.

"What he asks is something quite managable. And I can say he is quite strong indeed." Stronger then _you_, a nasty little voice berated her in the back of her head. However, such strength was of no conciquence if the person in question was easily controled, she reminded herself. And manipulation was something she excelled at.

"What _is_ such a warrior after?" Ursula asked, lounging in the corner. "What would we give him that he would want badly enough to take orders?"

"Information, of course." Maleficent said. "He wishes the whereabouts of a boy. He noticed the heartless would be quite valuable in such a search, so we struck a deal. His talents will make capturing the remaining princesses a mere game."

"So what? We tell this guy where to find the kid, and he goes off and leaves? Do we have to tell him right away? I mean, come _on_, if we're scratching this guy's back, best we milk the deal for all it's worth, am I right?" This speaker was suposedly a god of some sort, though outside of his world, he held no such power. He was an odd kind, attempting to style hair that appeared to be made up of nothing but blue fire.

"The deal was that as soon as I knew the boy's whereabouts, I would let him know. It wouldn't do well to back out of my word, now would it? Besides, he brought with him the locations of three princesses. When given results like these, rewards are not out of the question."

"Three?! It took us a year and a half to get the the one, how did he know?!" Captain Hook seethed, feeling more then a little outdone by some up-start.

"His organization came across them while they were searching for the boy. However, we now know where to strike, and I have already promised him his payment. I merely bring him before you now as a formality."

"Well, bring the boy in then. Might as well see what we've purchased." Jafar said, beginning to look curious. Maleficent smiled, and turned to the doorway. As if summoned, a young man walked in wearing a curious black cloak, embroidered with what appeared to be clouds. A high collar hid anything of his face below his eyes. Said eyes were black as coal. He said nothing, and the other occupants of the room paused as if they expected him to talk.

"Well, speak up you codfish you. Do you have a name?" The good captain said, waising an eyebrow at the silent figure.

"Itachi Uchiha." He stated in a monotone, turning his head towards the pirate. As he did, the light flashed off a metal plate he wore across his forehead, and the deep strike through it's middle. He slowly surveyed the others, as if waiting for any further questions. They all looked as if they had several things to ask, but the mysterious Itachi's presence seemed to silence them. He didn't seem to find the fact that any one of them could hear a pin drop awkward at all, merely turning to Maleficent, nodding, and seeing himself out. None could find words to speak right away, until...

"Maleficent, he seemed an odd one. Do you believe he can be trusted?" Jafar asked, suspicious.

"I believe he isn't the type to deal with nonsense if he can avoid it. And his information was sound. All three girls are now under survelience. He has nothing to gain by betraying us, so I believe we are safe of _that_ particular senario."

"What will he do if we can't deliver?"

"He asked us for information, not a delivery. The universe is vast, and I can only send heartless so far. I made sure he knew, his expectations will not be high."

"That's great, 'cause something just isn't _right_ with that kid. He was looking at us like his eyes were lethal weapons or something!" Maleficent quietly laughed to herself, as she remembered the unfortunate victim of Itachi's 'demonstration'.

"If they are, take care you do not provoke their use..."

--

"Stupid cat, stupid cryptic messages, stupid forest, stupid world changing for no good reason, stupid no sun _again_, stupid-"

"Sora, we know how stupid all of those things are, and would appreciate it very much if you stopped telling us."

"You didn't stop until just a half hour ago."

"That is completely beside the point."

"Hey, Sora, do ya think ya should spin the Keyblade again?" Goofy asked, playing on the possibility that they somehow deviated from the path. Entirely possible, since every tree and rock looked like the ones they may or may not have passed thirty times and counting...

"Actually, why _did_ you spin the Keyblade?" Donald asked. "Following your heart, and relying on chance are two different things. At least, I'm sure the cat meant them as two different things..."

"I was following my heart."

"Your heart tells you to gamble?"

"My heart pointed this way, after it stopped spinning." A pause.

"Sora, that sword, despite it's aparent affinity towards hearts, is not a heart itself."

"Actually, it is. When I use the Keyblade, I lose one of my hearts."

"You cannot possibly have several." The duck deadpanned in responce. Such a thing was unheard of after all.

"No, I don't. Only two."

"... Explain."

"Sure. I don't think we're getting anywhere anyway... It started when Leon taught me how to find my heart..."

--

"Oh, I say there, would you mind passing the sugar?" The Mad Hatter inquired to his good friend, the March Hare.

"But of _course_, but which sugar would you like? There seem to be several, some more energetic then others. Choose carefully friend." The March Hare answered his friendly chum, the Mad Hatter.

"I'm in the mood for something with a little kick..." That generally meant that the Hatter was leaning toward one of the sugar jars that were harder to catch. Thirteen jars on the table relaxed visably. Five others prepared to bolt. The March Hare was merciless in the chase, this much was common knowledge.

"Well, they seem to know we're talking about them, no sense in the element of suprise anymore."

"In that case, the far left if you please. I do so like the color green..." A second later, the Hare was upon the emerald shaded jar, preparing to scoop and hurl sugar across to his companion. The jar would not go down without a fight however. Seizing it's lid-hat in one arm, it grabbed a fork out of a nearby cake with the other. Armed with shield and spear, it faced down the Hare with suprising ferocity coming from a lowly sugar jar. What ensued was the greatest battle ever told of between a woodland creature, and a peice of tableware (saying nothing about how rare those instances were). At least, it _would've_ been a great battle, had an uninvited guest not intruded out of virtually nowhere. Rather rude not to announce itself after such an enterence either, the Hare noted. Perhaps though, The Mad Hatter invited the little black thing? Or his friends entering in the same fashion?

"Oh Hatter? Are these _your_ guests emerging out of the ground? Such a lovely yellow in their eyes, I must say."

--

"...And then, Leon came storming out of his room, a pair of those pink lacy boxers in his hand, and Yuffie _still_ managed to play innocent! I would've laughed for sure!" After explaining the heart thing, and the Keyblade thing, all that really remained was to talk about other things to pass the time.

"That friend of yours certainly has a mischevious streak..."

"She sure does! I've _still_ got to learn how to walk on the ceiling..."

"That sure sounds like it would be use- oof!" Goofy had just walked into Sora, who stopped short for no apparent reason.

"Sora? What's the hold up?" Donald asked, looking back at the boy, who was wearing such a _shocked_ expression... What could possibly have caused it?

"...They're here..."

--

"Such _rude_ guests!" The Hatter noted, beating one back with a large green (his favorite shade) hat. The headwear was suprisingly sturdy, and seemed to work knocking a few back that were eying him like a peice of meat.

"Indeed they are. And they seem rather relentless too, what do you suppose they're after?"

"Personally, I couldn't imagine." The Hatter said, doing an exagerated shrug, before noting with a sense of alarm that one fo the inky creatures was in the Hare's blind spot, that being directly behind him. "Look ou-!" But the warning was cut off by the battle cry of a boy who leapt over his head to bring down a sword on the creatures head, banishing it instantly. Everything froze as the unnamed boy stood between the two defenders, and eight other creatures. All attention was off the Hatter and Hare, and instead was focused vacently on the boy, who moved into a practiced stance, and appeared to be steeling himself for a brawl.

Sora was glad he arrived in time. Neither of the figures behind him appeared hurt at all, though a darker side of him noted, there may have been more then two a little while ago...

_'Now's not the time.'_ No, it wasn't. He needed to focus...

"Sora! Wait up!" Sora took his eyes off the heartless for a second, and that second was all it took for one to get over-eager and attack. Sora swung in an attempt to cut it down, but was interupted as a garbled voice shouted a magical word of command.

"_Thundara!_" A bolt of lightning fell from virtually nowhere, and the heartless was no more. Two more leapt forward, and Sora didn't get a chance at either of these either.

_Clang!_ The loud noise resounded off the shield that Goofy had blocked the heartless with, and with a grunt, he responded by thrusting the shield forward into one of the dazed creatures. Sora quickly learned that Goofy's strength was not something to be underestimated, despite his lack of obvious muscles on a lanky frame, as the heartless flew backwards as if the smiting blow was instead the blast of a cannon. The second was then crushed under the shield that the knight brought down on it's head.

"Sora! Don't go running off like that!" Donald yelled, before yelling '_Fira!'_ At another jumping towards the boy.

"We've gotta keep you safe after all! Promised Leon an' all."

"And he's got the key!"

"Oh, right. That too."

"Sorry!" Sora yelled back a the two, while impailing another heartless about to attack his leg. While this was going on, both the Hatter and the Hare were watching the battle from a safe distance, while munching popcorn out of the questionably full hat. Even the Hare didn't particularily know where his friend had aquired it.

"Alright, who's next?!"

"No one. They're all gone." Donald said.

"Oh. That's good." Sora said, sheathing the Keyblade in a flash of light.

"That was _indeed_ good! That trumps the Hare fighting the sugar jar anyday! Oh, no offence meant of course."

"But of _course_, friend. Say, who were those rude guests anyway? You vanquished them back into the unknown abyss, do you know?" The March Hare asked to the three new intruders.

"Uh..."

"Those were heartless. You've never heard of them?"

"Oh, _heartless_. Yes, we've quite heard of them. This is just our first time encountering them, that's all!"

"I see... that's... unusual..." Donald mused. Normally heartless were indiscriminate about their targets. With the exception of the Keyblader, who was now surveying the suroundings. A small forest clearing, lit up with several candles and a long table with more teapots and things of that nature then he could count.

"Well, if those were heartless, then I consider my heart very saved indeed! Wouldn't you agree my good Hatter?"

"Quite so! Please, if you would sit down for tea? I'm sure you're at least _somewhat_ tired after fending off the rabid demons of the dark unknown." Goofy and Sora both looked to Donald expectedly. It was obvious they wanted very much to rest. Donald considered it.

"Well, you do seem to be hospitable people with good intentions and happy dispositions."

"You could say deliriously happy dispositions!" The March Hare supplied.

"Actually, you probably could."

"Thank you ever so much."

"You're welcome... I suppose there wouldn't be any harm in sitting down for a cup."

"There's never any harm! Unless there's another place nearby where it would be fortuitous to go be generally heroic."

--

"You are under arrest for attempted assassination of the Queen for her heart!"

"Wait, what sort of charge is that?! What Queen?! What would I want with her heart?!"

"Those are for the Judge to know! Because he'll be asking you! And... you will then... answer...?"

"Quiet Gabe. You, come with us."

"Help!"

--

"...No?"

"Well then sit and relax! You'll live that much longer!"

"How do ya figure?" Goofy asked, selecting a seat next to Sora's.

"Our tea is _very_ good for you."

"I see..."

"One lump or two? And your names, if you please."

"Donald. No sugar please."

"Goofy. Just one please."

"I'm Sora. Could I have two please?"

"Of course you can. I am the Mad Hatter, though I haven't the foggiest as to why I'm called such. I can't remember ever being angry. _Ever._ Oh, would you like to introduce yourself? It's no trouble for me."

"No trouble at all for me either friend. I am the March Hare. I have no idea as to why I have that name either. On the other hand, me and the Hatter have identical initials. Fortunate, no?"

"I guess so..." Sora agreed, taking his first sip of the best tea he had ever tasted _ever_. Though he didn't have a large palette of teas, it was easy to recognise quality when it was screaming in your ear while beating you bloody with an aluminum bat. This was very good tea.

"Oh, Sora, compared to your companions, you look positively _gloomy_. Tell me, would you mind if I asked you a personal question?"

"Uh... I guess...?"

"When is your birthday?"

"April fourth."

"That isn't today! This is wonderful, do you hear?! _Wonderful I tell you!_" The Hare was almost throttling Sora he was so excited.

"Ah! Why is it wonderful?! Whoa!"

"It's your unbirthday! We simply _must_ throw you a party, post haste!"

"What's an unbirthday?" Goofy asked. "I don't think I've ever heard of one of those." Donald appeared confused as well, though he thought it was good sense to keep his beak shut. The Sora shaking stopped rather abrubtly.

"You mean to tell me that the three of you have not only never had an unbirthday, but never _heard of them?!_" The Mad Hatter was horrified. The three newcommers could do naught but dumbly nod their heads in an afirmative.

"This is _inconcievable!_" The Hare yelled, starting to shake Sora again.

"Normally we would explain the defination and _godly majesty_ of unbirthdays in well rehearsed song and beautifully choreographed dance , but we have not the time! We have to cram three unbirthdays into one, so much to do, so little time!"

"To put it simply, unbirthdays are every single day of the year that you aren't having a birthday."

"... Wow. There's a lot of those." Donald said, more to himself.

"Why _else_ would we be so happy! There'll be another tomorrow! And the day after that! And the _week_ after that! It's unbelivably _unbelivable!_"

"Three at once... this has never before been attempted in the history of unbirthdays. Are you ready, comrade?"

"I am indeed. Ready the dancing mice, fireworks, foreign cheeses, fighting robots, _and _the tunnel mobile!"

"The tunnel mobile?!"

"Yes! We are taking these unbirthdays to the _center of the world_!" Sora's brain had by now shut down all but the most essential functions. This was either going to be the greatest party _ever_... or they were all going to be burtally killed.

"I... can't wait...?"

_(To anyone still reading, or anyone who scrolled down to the bottom mentally demanding an explanation.  
_

_Ok. Itachi... where to begin...?_

_Personally, I think Naruto, the anime that is, could be so much better written. However, it remains that not ALL the characters are horrible. Itachi presents an element to the story that I think works well. He's a mentally unstable wild card with Sephiroth level strength, and a kind of magic that Merlin has never even heard of. He is important to my storyline, and I did NOT just add him because I think he's badass, sexy, in need of an intervention involving an original character involving Itachi gaining a new outlook on life and having hours upon hours of unprotected sex, or anything LIKE that. I added him, because I think he can contribute to the plot I have in mind._

_If it's any consolation to anyone not convinced, I promise that Naruto will never make an appearance in any of my work. I'd make a blood oath, but none of you can see me cut myself for said oath so... my word is all you have._

_Now, in the next exciting installment of OATHKEEPER. Donald and Goofy kick more ass, Sora finds out what the center of the earth looks like, and Alice is found... completely innocent? HAH! I don't THINK so!)_


	14. Ch 12: A Judicial Farce

_(Thank you to anyone who's still reading. I warn you now that there WILL be another Naruto character in the series, mainly because if we've got all this game culture hitting the scene, and then Itachi's all like 'what up biatches' as the only anime reference here, that just puts him ridiculously out of place. That, and it would be nice if somebody knew who Itachi WAS. NOBODY in the series knows.  
_  
_This character will not be Naruto himself. I SHUDDER to think of what the storyline would be like if he jumped in.  
Actually, after discovering that everyone he ever cared about suddenly DIED, and all that's left of his world is an organization that wants to KILL him, he could possibly go into a nervous breakdown and be taken over by the nine tailed fox spirit. After all, growing up the first twelve years of his life being horribly hated by all but a small handful of people, who all died because of a mysterious plague of black creatures out of NOWHERE, might play on whatever emotional and psychological disorders he should already have. Oh good lord, what if the fox spirit, after perhaps taking over his body, turns to the darkness?! Then suddenly you've got this huge omni-powerful evil FORCE OF NATURE running around destroying worlds and-  
_

_(Raijinken was interrupted by a flying pineapple hitting him across the face)_

_Oh god why! Oh, wait, what was I talking about... oh thank god somebody stopped me. While in hindsight, the senario I described above (right up until the fox turned to the darkness) wasn't a BAD idea, it is NOT the plot I have planned.  
_

_... Hey, free pineapple! Bitchin'!)  
_

_(Everything that has a copyright, is copyrighted to their respective owners)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Twelve: A Judicial Farce

"Wow... _That_ was a party..." Sora was of course talking about the three times unbirthday that had lasted a good nine and a half hours. That settled it, he was coming back even if it killed him.

Who knew that a tunnel mobile could run so fast and efficiently on nothing but tea?

"Sure was! It was real nice of those two to give us directions to a paradise too. Are we goin' there now?"

"Might as well. A paradise would have people there. We can start asking about the King." Donald nodded, satisfied that Sora was keeping the mission in mind. Then Donald stopped, a vacant look passing his face, before slapping a palm over his face in exasperation.

"What? What did I say?"

"Directions. The world changes on a whim. We still don't know where we're going."

"Gwarsh..."

"... God dammit..." Sora sighed, and put his metaphorical chin up. He was walking away from the greatest party in the history of everything ever. He had no _right_ to be a stick in the mud so soon after that _monster_.

"Well, we don't have any other direction to go. We've gotta end up somewhere." Goofy said, also riding the high of a great party.

"If there's nothing else... perhaps we'll find the ship. Oh, we could be wandering this place for eternity..." Donald however, seemed determined to be depressed.

"Maybe next time we could look for a way to beam ourselves down instead. Then we wouldn't have to look for the ship."

"Sora, this is not any kind of science fiction scenario."

"The fact that we have a space ship says otherwise." Sora stated with a triumphant grin.

"... Touche Keybearer..."

--

"... And of course, you my dear have been found guilty. The charges are attempted theft of my heart, and at the same time, attempted assassination-"

"Wait, why am I guilty?!" A young girl asked frantically, as she knew well by now what the Queen of Hearts' favorite method of punishment was.

"You are guilty because I say you are! Be glad your kind even received a trial!"

"Trial?! I had no defence, and _you_ had no evidence or witnesses! You brought me in here, and rambled on about how I was guilty, a horrid little girl, and how you hate white roses! None of that has anything to do with the crime in the first place!"

"If I say it's a trial, then it's a trial! And you _are_ a horrid little girl if you can't accept when you've been caught."

"Caught at _what_?! If the pitiful amount of information you've provided is correct, then I was not even _in_ Wonderland at the time of the crime!"

"Can you prove this 'fact'?"

"Can _you _prove_ otherwise_?"

"I don't have to. You've already been found guilty. Now, the sentence! _Off with her head! Immediately!_" There was no hope anymore, and she was about to be killed on a whim. She would never see home again. Alice could do nothing now but sob quietly as she was dragged away by a pair of cards.

--

"Oh, is that sunlight?"

"Good gravy it is!" Donald yelled in obvious excitement. "Maybe now we can_ get_ some... where... oh..." When Sora and Goofy caught up, they really didn't blame Donald for falling silent. They had almost walked right into an execution.

"Please! You can't really believe I deserve this, do you?!" She appealed to the other cards, that white rabbit who could do nothing but stutter, the Cheshire Cat resting on a hedge still grinning that mad grin of his, but nobody said a word. "P-please... somebody, please help..." The girl was underneath a guillotine of ridiculous size, reaching high above the ground. She was on her back, looking up at the suspended blade, and desperately trying to appeal to those present. The scene of that girl in a position like this seemed horribly, horribly wrong to the three.

"Goofy..." Sora made eye contact with the knight, who was now feeling the pull of his vows. Goofy looked upon the scene seriously. Sora smiled when he saw the knight ready his shield.

"Goofy, is this wise?" Donald asked, not dismissing the course of action altogether. If they rushed down there to be heroic, it could end up being their end. There were several guards.

"I'll bet it's not. But it's right." Goofy answered with a conviction that reminded Sora of storybook knights. Donald readied his staff as well, prepared to unleash magic hell.

"Sora. You should stay here."

"Yeah, I should, shouldn't I?"

"... Stay close."

"I will." Sora grinned. Goofy gestured to the two.

"Follow me. We'll attack from the side..."

--

"Is she secure? No escaping? Good- wait, the blood, you're _sure_ it won't get on my dress this time? You're next if it does. You're _sure_? Alright, fine. Announce me." The white rabbit grabbed his trumpet, scrambled to a place where he would be easily seen, and trumpeted (rather poorly) the Queen's arrival.

"I now present her majesty, the Queen of Hearts!"

"Thank you, my loyal subjects..." Her smile fell when the Queen realized that it was far too quiet for her liking. "_Thank you, my loyal subjects._" All of the sudden, every card available burst into raucous applause and cheers. "Thank you... thank you... alright, _silence!_" As abruptly as the false appreciation started, it ended.

"Her majesty will now read the charges for the guilty!" The white rabbit announced, handing a scroll to the Queen. Said rabbit then flinched away as if he was about to be struck with a sledge hammer. The Queen either took no notice, or didn't care.

"The wretched criminal has been found guilty of attempted assassination. She has tried to steal my heart, and for this capital offence, her head will roll! Now. _Off with her head!_" This was the only warning, before the six of spades swung his axe and cut the rope holding the large blade in the air.

"_Haste!_" An orange flash of light shone forth from one of the hedges, and a green blur erupted from the leafy wall and rocketed towards the guillotine, blowing apart a group of guards like a bowling ball to a group of pins.

_Clang _went the shield the figure held, against the falling blade. Alice opened her eyes and looked up to see Goofy, holding up the blade with his hand now, and rearing back with his weapon. The assembled card guards were paralyzed with shock as the shield hammered, and in a single strike, broke the guillotine blade in two, sending the pieces outward and away from Alice. The knight looked down at the girl, and smiled.

"Hiya there. Still want help?"

"... Thank you..."

"_WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?!_ Seize him!" The Queen yelled in rage at having been cheated her revenge. The guards sized up the knight, who was in the middle of preparing for the coming fight. Deciding that such strength was useless against their obviously superior numbers, they charged forward. And then the odds became a little more even.

"_Blizzaga!_" A gigantic chunk of ice formed around half the company. The others stopped, and frantically searched for the source of the phenomenon, forgetting about the knight. That was a mistake.

Cards began flying left and right as Goofy tore into their ranks again.

"Now?" Sora asked, eager to jump into the fray and help his friend.

"_Fira!_" Donald yelled, striking the reinforcements running in.

"Now." Confirmed Sora, drawing the Keyblade, and dashing forward to clear a path for the following mage.

--

"Now, would you be so kind as to tell me _why_ you interrupted my execution?" The Queen of Hearts asked them, satisfied that they had been defeated. And of course, they looked defeated, backed up against a wall with several guards at their fronts. Sora and Goofy stood guarding Donald, and the girl they had gone to such trouble for. She obviously didn't know what to make of it at all, probably opting to 'ride the wave', and obey any order she had been given. Of course the only order thus far was to follow when they had freed her.

"You said she tried to steal your heart. Does she look like a heartless to you?" Donald asked the Queen. It was clear to Goofy that the duck was concentrating on another spell. The poor guards were gathered quite close together. So vulnerable to magic like that... It would be simple to blow them apart and run again, this time into the forest.

"Of course she's a heartless, just look at her!" Donald's eyebrow twitched. It would be _very_ unwise to blast her instead, because it would leave many guards close by. However, as she talked, he found himself caring less and less.

"I am. I see nothing of a heartless in her."

"She changed her form then, into something less threatening. She's trying to fool us all."

"Heartless can't do that. And they don't care about fooling anybody."

"How would _you_ know?!" Donald wondered how it was possible for women to puff themselves up like this. Daisy did the same thing when she was convinced he had done something wrong.

"Because unlike you, I've actually seen a heartless. So have these two. We've seen _several_." The Queen was quite red by now. It was understandable, the likes of her absolutely _detested_ logic.

"Impudence! _Off with their heads!_" Sora tensed in an odd way just then. Donald and Goofy had an idea by now of what that might've meant.

"_AAAAAHHHHHH!_" All eyes turned to a guard near the back, who seemed to be dissolving into inky darkness. And standing in the middle of it all was a single black heartless, eyes darting back and forth, perhaps determining it's next target. Sora whipped his head down to the Keyblade still in his hand. He had kept it out for _far_ too long... Donald took the opportunity to try and convince the bull headed Queen.

"_THAT_ is a heartless! Not this girl!" Unfortunately she still hated logic quite a bit.

"Impossible! This feeble thing could not possibly steal hearts!" She was quickly proven wrong when it leaped forward, tackled another guard into the ground, and buried it's hands in the card's chest. A flash of light as the heart was revealed, and then nothing when it was devoured. The card began dissolving into darkness, just as the first had.

"Well well Queenie, it looks like you really _are_ a few cards short of a full deck!" The Cheshire Cat said in a manner that suggested it wasn't a joke at all. It's head was turning lazily in circles, but nobody was paying attention.

"What's your name?" Goofy asked the girl, who was looking upon the scene with horror, with good reason too. She snapped out of it at the knight's question.

"A-Alice..."

"Donald, what's the plan?" Goofy then asked the duck, who was watching to make sure the black monster didn't get too close. More were already showing up. And they were about to attempt to eat their way to the Keyblade.

"Sora, don't put away the Keyblade. Even if you do, there are probably more on the way. You need to defend yourself."

"...Alright."

"Goofy, guard Alice. I'm going to make an escape route. Sora, watch my back."

"Can do."

"Let's go." Donald turned to the wall.

"_Blizzaga!_" Something like a small iceberg jutted violently out of the ground, ripping apart the wall behind them. It quickly vanished, leaving a sizable hole. "Now run!"

"But the others, they'll-"

"The only thing we can do for them is get as far away as possible! They'll follow the Keyblade! Now come _on_!"

"R-Right behind you!"

"No, behind _you!_" Sora whipped around just in time to find a heartless launching itself at his head. The Keyblade swiftly rent it in two, and Sora struggled to keep up as several more tried to follow the creature's example.

"Donald, where the heck do we go?! We don't know where Snoopy is!"

"I'm thinking! _Thundara!_" Goofy shouted back a thanks as the heartless above his head was obliterated. He held Alice's arm in one hand, dragging her along while he wielded his shield with the other. She could do nothing but pant heavily as they ran, unused to such exertion.

"You mean you didn't think of a plan before we did this?!"

"You saw that blade fall! _You_ try coming up with a plan, and by the time you do, the person you're saving is a head shorter!"

"So the only plan we have is keep running?!"

"Yes! _Aeroa!_" Sora would've stopped in wonder to notice the whirling winds that blew two heartless away, and now orbited him, but it certainly was not the time because they were being chased by a crowd of... nothing...?

"Hey, the heartless are gone!"

"The heartless are _what?!_" Obviously the heartless abandoning the chase was not a part of whatever plan Donald was making. "Why would they leave?! _They don't get tired!_ If they kept at it, we would've been-"

"Hey, gift chocobo. Mouth. Shut up. Wait, was that the word Yuffie used that one time...? And what the heck _is_ a chocobo?"

"Now's not the time. Sora, have you ever once noticed heartless acting like this?" They continued at a walk, moving ever further from the Queen of Hearts. Sora racked his brain.

"...Yeah, once."

"Exactly. This is highly unusual an- wait, you have?" Donald was prepared to use his experience with the heartless against Sora, but that would be impossible now.

"Yeah. Leon said it was wierd too. And soon after... Uh-oh."

"What's wrong Sora?"

"Uh... I don't know if it's connected or anything, but this huge armored heartless came out of nowhere and started trying to blow us up."

"_Malqui!_" Donald cried, thrusting his staff in the air. A pulse of sorts erupted, not unlike the _Dispell_ did. The difference was, this new spell was faster, and the pulse came running back after a few moments. Donald looked shocked when it did.

"What'd ya get?" Goofy asked?

"What'd you _do?_" Sora inquired after, confused as to what this could mean.

"The _Malqui_ is a spell that works like sonar. And... over there..." Donald said, pointing in a direction off in a group of trees and shrubs. And it only took a moment of focus before Sora realized he _felt_ whatever it was that Donald had detected. It was there, coming closer, and it was _huge_.

"I don't know what it was but-"

"Heartless. Big one..."

"You're sure?" Goofy asked, serious as before they rescued Alice. A serious situation transformed him once again.

"Yeah. Definitely."

"It was the only creature I picked up. Besides _that_." Donald said, pointing at the Cheshire Cat, who for reasons unknown had followed them.

"Besides what?" The cat's question was ignored.

"Alice, go hide over there."

"A-alright..." She trotted over to the rather secluded area hidden in more trees.

"So... what happens now?"

"Wait, should we warn the door?" Goofy asked, pointing at a giant stump.

"Goofy, the only things here are that- oh, wait. When did _that_ get there?" The door was snoring, from the giant tree stump that hadn't been there a little while ago.

"...He seems pretty out of the way. He'll be fine."

"So, what did it look like? The Heartless I me-" Goofy was interrupted as a tree was knocked aside. There, a red and black spindly creature moved- rather oddly Sora thought- into the clearing. A pair of jagged arms held what appeared to be two torches, and it had five heads, stacked on top of each other. Catching sight of Sora, it cackled in some sort of perverse glee, and bounded forward, torches igniting and spinning into two dangerous rings of fire.

"Ah. I was _wondering_ where that brute had wandered off to!" The Cheshire Cat quipped merrily as Sora, Donald and Goofy leapt out of the way to prevent getting burned.

"_Blizzaga!_" The way the creature bent out of the way was both something to be proud of, and highly irritating at the same time. Yoga experts would never be able to duplicate such a feat, held back but their _human_ bodies. However, while impressive, it also dodged the ice entirely. Donald grumbled about wasted magic, and began charging another spell. Goofy could do nothing but block weaving strikes from the agile creature, and Sora, without the benefit of a defensively designed weapon, could do _nothing_ but stay as far from the heartless as he could. And this was difficult because it wouldn't stop _chasing_ him. He couldn't get close to attack, and he couldn't use magic because_ that _required close range too. They were stuck.And then came the fireballs.

"_Yeow!_" Screeched Goofy as a ball of hot flame set the seat of his pants aflame. It was through a mad fluke that Sora found out he could block the fireballs completely with the Keyblade, one that he was grateful for. He didn't much want to test the charm he had been given by Cid. Donald was no longer casting spells, as the creature in all his winding movements had finally designated both the knight and mage as actual enemies, and was no longer ailed by Sora tunnel vision. Fireballs were flying often, as the torches began spinning faster and faster.

"You know, it sure isn't savory for the fire to be thrown around so close to plants. He's starting more fires, do you see?"

"_Argh!_ Freaking ca- oof!" Sora was interrupted mid curse by a sweeping arm of the heartless, that senting him spinning awkwardly back into a tree. Sora grit his teeth, looked up, and then noted with horror that the creature had just pinned Goofy to the ground with a massive foot. The fire was spreading, and if it spread too far, they and Alice would die. If Goofy, now in a decidedly dangerous situation, died... they wouldn't last very long then either.

Sora began gathering magic from his body into the Keyblade. He didn't get the chance to work on the spell with Donald yet, but he had gotten it right a few times under Merlin's watchful eye. Only a few...

_'Not a lot of options now. Hang on Goofy...'_

--

Alice watched the goings on with a worried eye. She hadn't even known these people for much longer then perhaps a half hour, but they had saved her. And now they were fighting this thing off... The one with the shield went down, and she gasped.

_'Oh no... please don-'_

"You." A deep voice emanated from behind her, and she whipped around so hard in surprise, she found her neck suddenly sore from the snapping movement. She found herself face to face with a dark figure, his red eyes unlike anything she had ever seen before. She was frozen to the spot as she felt like fear was _forced_ on her being. The man spoke again, and she was painfully aware as this shadowy figure at the moment encompassed her entire world.

"Princess, you are coming with me."

--

The creature had stopped moving, and was poised to strike the knight, who was almost lifting the giant foot off his body with a grimace. This was his chance. Sora charged forward, the word of magical command on his lips-

"_RAGH!_" A loud grunt of intense exertion as Goofy threw the monster off balance, scrambled to his feet, and threw a brutal shield punch to the creatures mid section. It staggered backwards and was caught in a giant block of ice, courtesy of the mage who had been fatally forgotten. Sora looked on dumbly, wondering what the hell he was going to do now that they had the creature in such a position. He wasn't exactly needed anymore.

"Sora! Kick him while he's down!" Oh, wait, there was a lot of magic in the Keyblade right now. Good idea to put it to use. Sora leapt forward, Keyblade over his head.

And thankfully, because it would've been just criminal if the spell wasn't successful at a time like this, Sora managed to cast his first spell on a heartless.

"_Raijinken!_" The sword came down on the trapped heartless, and while the blow itself was quite destructive, it paled in comparison to the accompanying bolt of lightning that struck the point of impact. The heartless gave a cry that could break fine glass, and was still. It slowly began to disolve from the large smoking hole in it's middle.

"Oh, thank whoever that's over..."

"Donald! The fires!" Goofy yelled. There were still fires everywhere, and they were beginning to spread to Alice's hiding place.

"_Waterga!_" And from the tip of his staff, a continuous torrent of water blasted with all the force of a fire hose. It wasn't long before the only remnants of the battle were the dissolving heartless corpse, and several black splotches in the surrounding grass. A moment or two passed, before the three let out a loud cheer for no other reason then just feeling like it. After all, they had just denied themselves a very painful death.

"Oh for the love of Pete! Can you not be quiet and let me rest?!" The now awake door cried from it's position in the stump, shattering the good mood like a brick through a window.

"You know, if we didn't kill that thing, it probably would've gone after you next." Sora said in response.

"What thing? One of you screamed in what sounded like a painful death and that woke me up. _Then_ you proceeded to get everything wet for some reason!"

"_That_ thing!" Donald screamed in frustration, brandishing a shaking finger at... where the large heartless used to be.

"... Lying is about the rudest thing you can do to someone. It is an insult to the intelligence and trust of the person you're talking to." Donald threw a temper tantrum. He obviously wasn't in the mood for such a thing barely minutes after a life or death struggle. Sora shook his head.

"I just don't get it..."

"Neither do I. Who is Pete, and why did that door love him?" The cat was again, ignored.

"Sora, what's that?" Goofy asked. Even though they were in a land that made no sense, he still drew attention to the door, who was now in the middle of a long and loud yawn. The door's mouth, Sora noticed, when wide open resembled a keyhole. And said keyhole was the source of shining heavenly light, and soft melodious singing.

_'Oh good lord!'_ Sora screamed in his mind as he dashed forward, knowing he probably wouldn't get another chance at this. Leaping into a dive, he flew forward, planting the Keyblade in the door's wide open mouth. While the door was now coughing and sputtering around the intruding sword, Sora just managed to force it a quarter turn to the left. The sound that followed was undoubtedly a large lock sliding into place. The sound that followed after _that_ was undoubtedly the door, spitting out the Keyblade and coughing violently.

"_What in the name of the Cheshire Cat did you do THAT for?!_"

"Sora, as much as that was enjoyable to watch... what _did_ you do that for?" Donald asked over the door's indignant screams.

"I just sealed off the world's heart."

"...That was nothing like what you described."

"I know. This place must be special, I guess." Sora said, wanting nothing more then to crawl into a bed and sleep for a week. "That keyhole's kinda unmistakable... and now that I think about it... yeah, the only difference between this door and the others is that this one has a knob and hinges. It's probably the most like a real door I've seen yet!"

"Guys!" Goofy called as he ran toward them.

"Hey did you see what I just d... what's wrong?" Sora had just noticed Goofy looking worried, something he had never seen him be before this.

"I can't find Alice..."

_(Alright, sweet. Thank you to all who are STILL here after I revealed another Naruto character coming._

_First thing's first. The '_Malqui' (_Pronounced 'Mal-Kee') is a spell of my own invention. It works like sonar, sending out a pulse, and using that pulse to detect objects. The spell however, is made to work for animate objects only however. Meaning the Cat, and the Trickmaster._

_Second. Sora's spell was called _Raijinken_. The word, translated, means Lightning Blade. Because it's using the Keyblade, a weapon of impressive magical strength, I would place the power level of this attack at about... alright, take a regular Thunder spell. Now multiply that by about 1.5x. It's not as powerful as a Thundara, but it's still exceptionally strong. It has it's drawbacks however, as it doesn't have the tactical advantages regular magic does. Donald can drop a thunderbolt from virtually anywhere. Sora has to be at ground zero._

_Third. I am well aware that I made my name Sora's spell. In fact... I'm so aware that I decided to do this, just now. Seriously.)_

Omake

"_Raijinken!_" It really looked to anyone assembled that Sora was about to strike the trapped heartless with the Keyblade, but instead, he opted to plunge it into the ground, and viciously twist it, as if unlocking something. A burst of smoke, and standing in the middle was...

"Reporting for duty. What can I do for you?" A young man in his late teens stood there with his back to Sora, fidgeting with the hilt of a katana sheathed at the back of his waist. Long blonde hair spilled down past his shoulders. He was dressed like a stereotypical ninja, in black and a deep shade of green.

"I have better things to do then stand here. What was I called for?" He turned his head back towards Sora, revealing shocking blue eyes and a black facemask that covered his mouth and nose.

"Wait... what are you doing here?"

"Whatever you want I guess. I was sitting at my laptop, writing a story, and suddenly I'm here in full ninja gear. That's why it sucks being a summon." Sora stood there looking at him blankly. Raijinken sighed.

"Alright, look, just point me in the direction of something that needs killing." Sora pointed at the trapped heartless.

"That thing there."

"Wow... you decided to do all the work for me, didn't you? I don't mind an easy job, but don't call me out here for nothing."

"Sora! He's starting to melt the ice!" Donald cried from somewhere on the sidelines.

"Oh? Well, might as well get to work then." Raijinken drawled, walking over while flicking his sword out of it's resting place. "I'm going to cut you up like a Christmas turkey. Stand still now." The ninja said, as if the heartless could move in the first place.

Sora felt mildly afraid as the summon tore into the creature like a wild beast.

_(Is my hair long and blonde? Yes. Are my eyes a shocking blue? Surprisingly I was not the first to describe them that way. Why was I a ninja? Two reasons. One, because I felt like it. Two, because I didn't feel like describing my face. Facemask yo._

_Until next time.)_


	15. Ch 13: Don't Try That At Home

_(Ladies, Gentlemen, all that other crap I mention on my profile, prepare yourself for what might be a mild shock. Not a huge shock, but a mild one. Maybe several mild ones. Actually... there's one reader in particular I know who's going to have a freaking heart attack about mid way through the story. You know who you are._

_I'd dedicate the chapter to you, but you haven't given me nearly enough fudge for that sort of honor. Maybe next time, yeah?_

_Now, get ready for a chapter that's a little longer, a little better, and hopefully, a little worth your time. Also I liked doing the Omake thing. I'm doing it again. So there.  
_

_If it's not, please don't tell me so in so many four letter words, lest you come off as trolls._

_Everything that has a copyright is copyrighted to their respective owners. This presentation brought to you by Jim and Tim's Taxidermy. 'Anything can walk in, but the only thing coming out_ _is tasteful home decorating.'_

_Alright, there, I said it. Now give me my money! Wait wh- oh hell NO_ _it's not in the mail! Prepare to bleed!)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Thirteen: Don't Try That At Home

Sora didn't really know what to think.

On one hand, they had rushed in, saved Alice, and _then_ won against an opponent that was beating the stuffing out of them. He reasoned that he should feel bloody heroic then, like he did the other time at Traverse Town. But then...

Alice had gone missing.

Sora reasoned again that chances were she had gotten scared of the... indescribable creature that came out of the trees and began attacking. She could've ran. She could be safe. Chances were, that was _exactly_ what happened. So... why did he feel as if he failed?

No, he still felt accomplished, and since he didn't know for sure, that sense of failure was more like a nagging, spiteful little voice in the back of his head. And ever since a certain other voice dropped a legend into his hand, he had grown to dislike them. He supposed that since it gave him cause to survive the world's breaking, it was worth it. But still... he was given a _heartless magnet_. What the hell kind of gift _was_ that?

But Keyblade or not, he sat in his chair, not really reading his book, brooding the doubt away slowly but surely. Since it was such a slow process, he chose to occupy his mind with other things. Like say, half heartedly questioning how they had found the gummi ship.

The door continued to yell obscenities, understandably so, and the three could do nothing else but take it as they searched for signs of Alice, and coming up extremely empty handed. Wherever she was, it certainly wasn't in their vicinity at the time. A _Malqura _(The aparent second level to the detection spell) had proven this. And Goofy had mentioned that she had left without a trace. As if she had vanished. Sora was impressed with Goofy's apparent tracking skill, up until he began trying to puzzle out which side of a rock moss grew on. Donald had chosen then to announce that they would be finding nothing, and they should be concentrating instead on finding the gummi ship. Just then, the door swung open rather hard, and was now swearing muffled curse words against the side of the stump. Out marched Snoopy, who had suddenly looked panicked. As it turned out, the door lead straight into the bridge. Snoopy was expecting to go to his quarters and had instead wound up there with the trio.

It was unanimous at that point to get the _hell_ back on the ship, and fly away. Before they lost this very _very_ convenient excuse to find it before a certain monarch. And what was left of her deck of guards.

Wonderland worked in mysterious and sometimes frustrating ways. If it wasn't for the prospect of another unbirthday party, Sora wouldn't consider coming back to this batshit insane world.

Seriously. The party rocked _that_ hard.

But now, they were moving away from that world, and on to their original destination. Which would be a long time coming. Dammit... Oh wait, the book suddenly got interesting. Link about to try slaying a fire dragon? _Hell_ yes. Suddenly the wait wasn't all that bad.

--

"What?! How did you get in?!" A woman demanded of two figures that most definitely did _not_ belong in her chambers. They had somehow fooled and slipped past numerous magical wards, moving in completely undetected. She herself would not have noticed them if she didn't feel at that time like hearing how beautiful she was. The fairest of the land, now that the hunter had disposed of that wretch.

"It certainly was not easy, even for one of his skill." One of the two answered, another woman from the sound of her voice. She stepped into the light, a slight smile on her face. Had her eyes not been hinting at something darker, her expression could've been one of greeting a casual friend.

"What are you doing here?" The dark queen hissed at the intruders. She was disgusted at the green hue of Maleficent's skin. How dare this unsightly woman address her at all? Maleficent's smile was replaced by a neutral expression. One for talking business.

"I would like information. And perhaps a chat concerning... mutual benefits." The dark queen paused. Two individuals such as these, getting past her wards as they were ghosts... what else were they capable of, she wondered?

"I'm listening." Maleficent's smile returned.

"Well, as far as mutual benefits go... I noticed quite the store of dark magic tomes on my way to this room. Are you against perhaps sharing? I happen to have a few choice titles that you do not. As it happens, I noticed books that _I_ had never seen before. For the purpose of magical education?" The queen stiffened. The prospect of sharing such knowledge with someone she hadn't known for ten minutes was something that made her wary. Maleficent continued.  
"You could also have a place among us. I am leading an organization with a rather... lofty goal. There is another sorceress among our number, one who I learned a great deal from. I would guarantee your power would increase exponentially."

"... And the information? What are you after in return for this... generosity?"

"Nothing of great consequence. I would like to know the whereabouts of a girl I'm sure you're familiar with. As a show of good will, I have not laced the surrounding lands with my agents to find her."

"Your agents...?"

"Are you familiar with the term..._ heartless_?" By the shocked look on her face, she did indeed. If Maleficent didn't have her attention before, she by now had it in a vice grip.

"If I were to loose them, there are good chances your world would suffer greatly, the surrounding lands in particular. All I need from you is the whereabouts of Snow White."

"I am afraid that the insightful worm no longer lives." Maleficent's face went from a cat who just got the cream, to a harsh, icy anger. Understandably so. If the Princess of Heart was killed, she would be required to await her reincarnation. Which could take as long as decades.

"Explain."

"She had liberties that she had no right to, and as thus, I had her removed. I have her heart, still warm with her blood, in this box." The queen mentioned, presenting an ornate case for something so gruesome.  
"It was cut out from her living body. I am afraid I have nothing for you." Maleficent visibly relaxed, for reasons unknown. However, it was plain to see that she was still severely agitated.

"What liberties exactly did she take?"

"She was more beautiful then I." All of her anger returned, with company.

"You nearly ruined my plans, plans that I had taken so much time and effort into creating and carrying out, for the sake of your pitiful vanity?" The question was rhetorical, something that Maleficent wasn't prone to do when she was so serious.  
"I of course say nearly, because you are so pitifully inept, you can't recognize the heart of a pig in place of the heart of a hated enemy." The dark queen's eyes widened in shock, flicking down to the box to study it more intently. It seemed that she didn't notice perhaps, because she didn't bother to examine it closely at all.

"... The huntsman lied to me. I'm going to-"

"No you will not. You have nearly trespassed against me unforgivably, and for that, you will never do anything ever again." Maleficent stated. Her tone could freeze boiling water.

"Itachi, would you?" She asked her companion. It was an honest request, one that could be refused. The only reason Maleficent had even asked was because she wanted this woman to _suffer_. She was happy to note Itachi's nod, and she strode out of the room to secure the princess' whereabouts. The unfortunate queen's agonized scream was music to her ears.

It wouldn't do to have another dark queen in her inner circle anyway.

Now, the orders of buisness were clean out the woman's library, and secure Snow White. Both would be easy child's play. She had brought Itachi along for the purpose of a bodyguard, but it seemed he was far from necessary on this particular expedition. She wondered at the risk of leaving him to himself the next time. Itachi would obey without question, but she had the suspicion that his agreement to accompany her was reluctant. Still, Itachi was proof that she had a far way to come before achieving true power. And it was unlikely he was the only one who had. He would be her shadow from now on, she decided.

"Attend me." She commanded in an even voice, stopping in the hall. A single heartless emerged from the walls, and silently observed her, waiting.

"Find her. Take her. Leave her intact." They needed simple commands, to get through the crippling blood lust they always felt. The hunger she was told, was overwhelming. It didn't show any sign of having understood, it merely disappeared from whence it came. Perfect.  
"Itachi." She greeted, when she felt his presence. There was no question the narcissistic woman was dead now. Everything in the castle was now hers, and the princess would be found within the hour. Life, she admitted in a rare occurrence, was good. She set off at a brisk walk, set on exiting the castle and traversing the forest. The Heartless would need help, as the Princess' of Heart almost always had some heroic fool gravitate towards them. The prince who attempted to save Princess Aurora on her old world was one such example. Him and those three damnable faeries, who thought that tossing him a sword and shield would be enough to conquer her. Fools, the lot of them. A lowly heartless had conquered _him_ from behind, a pathetic end for a pathetic pawn. A pity those faeries managed to get away before the world broke... Maleficent idly wondered if they even now dedicated themselves to helping 'heroes'.

"Ah... we have our heading." The sorceress said, her good mood restored as she felt the dark activity congealing in the north. She had been found. However... since there was no apparent ceasing of said activity, either _this_ particular princess had a method of protecting herself (Doubtful, she thought), or as predicted, she was guarded. It was time to show once again the fate of heroes. She stepped into a portal, followed by her own guard.

As she emerged, she was surprised. This one didn't have a single protector. The fair girl somehow managed to rope herself seven dwarves, all fighting desperately for her safety. Oh how Maleficent _hated_ foolish heroes, believing themselves gallant because they valued another life above their own. A sentiment that would land them in an early grave, accomplishing nothing. These would be no different.

Six of the dwarves were rather predictable, all combating the heartless effectively with their ancestral signature. Some variant of battle axe or war hammer. The seventh however, she congratulated on betraying her expectations with a raised eyebrow. The youngest one it appeared, due to his lack of facial hair, was wielding instead a rapier reminding her of some swashbuckler or another she had seen. At her arrival, the heartless stopped their attack, instead waiting for orders. Such brainless creatures.

"Surrender the girl, and you'll be spared." She offered. She was nothing if not diplomatic. There was silence following, and she thought that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't dealing with complete idiots for once. She was proven wrong however, when the young one leapt forward in front of the others, and brandished his sword at her in an unorthodox fencer's stance. As if inspired by this open show of defiance, the others readied their weapons for another charge. One behind the fencer spoke, leveling his large hammer at her. His voice came out almost as a growl, perhaps because of that sour expression that never left his face.

"Take her." Their bravery would make their kin proud. More fools. Everyone following the light were fools. Pitiful, idealistic, doomed to die, fools. Idiots.

"Prepare yourselves for death." She stated, gathering magic to strike. Itachi stood in the trees, observing, waiting for a signal that would never come. Dwarven battle cries soon rent the air, followed by the roar of green flames and the crack of black lightning.

The battle was long.

--

"Hey, Donald. There's something I'm curious about."

"What's that Sora?"

"Well, after I used _Raijinken_, Uh... there was this kinda hollow feeling in my gut. It's like that whenever I use magic. Is that normal?" Donald nodded.

"Yes, it is. That feeling is a side effect of using magic. It's your bodies way of telling you your stores are being depleted. As you use magic, your reserves will slowly expand, and the feeling won't be quite so severe so soon. Just remember that you don't have a lot of magic to work with, since you've only started using magic correctly very recently. If you ever start tiring as a result, the best course of action is to either stop using magic, or drink an ether."

"Ethers give you back magic?"

"No... that's kind of the only thing they _don't_ do. It's impossible to replenish magic instantly, or if there is a method, nobody's found it yet. What ethers do is boost the rate at which your body replenishes magic naturally, and numbs the hollow feeling you have when you use too much. You _do_ get magic back, though it's a small amount over a long period of time. And you'll be able to use magic without sucumming to magic exhaustion until the ether wears off. In short, they're very unhealthy for you. They're much like some sort of magic steroid."

"Ah... that's good to know. I was kinda thinking that I could start taking ethers and keep blasting things."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Of course... you wouldn't be the first to go thinking that way. Even so, it would be difficult to use them so frivolously. Ethers are expensive. How many do you have?"

"Oh, I was given a box of potions, a good bunch of those... and like... seven or eight ethers." Donald's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"That's... a lot to have at one time. Your friends are generous."

"They told me they want me to stay alive..."

"Mm... if that's the case, Sora, I only carry one ether at a time. Would you mind if I shared your stock? I would be using them to defend our lives..." Sora smiled brightly, happy to help.

"My ethers are your ethers. All I've got is the _Raijinken_. They'd be worth a lot more in your hands anyway. Watch our backs, okay?" Donald returned his smile.

"With my life. Now, are you hungry?"

"Uh... no, not really." Donald's smile turned itself around quickly.

"How long haven't you been hungry?" The duck asked rather seriously. Sora felt a scolding coming on.

"Um... I didn't eat dinner... It's weird, but I'm still not hungry." Donald sighed.

"So, not since we destroyed that heartless?"

"No."

"... When the body is low on magic, the resulting feeling of exhaustion will make you stop feeling hunger or thirst. It would be best if you ate Sora. Don't fill up though, or you won't sleep well."

"Yes mo-" Sora was interrupted by a sound that came over the speakers. He was somewhat reminded of the noise that sounded on planes when you had to put on your seatbelt.

"Hm... That means that Snoopy's going to land. Have we arrived already...?" Donald asked to no one in particular. He turned and strode to the bridge, presumably to handle things. Sora followed, wanting to get a look at the next world. If it was another covered with rainbow fog, they were turning the ship the _hell_ around, even if he had to blow up the controls. However... if it was another world like that, he might not be the first to suggest such a thing.

Stepping onto the bridge, Sora looked out the window to find a world that seemed to be made up of a large sea, surrounding a single large island.

"Hey, Donald, is this where we were supposed to go the first time?"

"Yes," Donald said, "but we should not be here this soon... No matter. Snoopy, please find an appropriate landing spot. Don't worry about stealth, this spot is a gathering spot for travelers."

"It is?" Sora asked. He wondered just how common such worlds were.

"Sure is Sora. People come from completely different galaxies for the Colosseum." Goofy supplied. The mention of a Colosseum grabbed Sora's attention. Fighting for fun instead of for their lives would be a very welcome change. And then there was the prospect of prizes...

"Hey, can we enter?"

"Why would we want to do that?" Donald asked. "We get enough of fighting as it is."

"But _here_, we can fight for prizes." Sora shot back, grinning. Maybe there'd be more cool magical things, like his necklace up for grabs. Out of the three, because of that charm, Sora was the best protected. If they could pick up a few more accessories like that, they would stand a better chance at pretty much any trouble that would come their way. "Or money. Or something else just as useful. You know, as long as the rules say no killing."

"No Sora, no fighting. Even if there are rules against killing, there will still be injurys, and you'll be fighting against professionals who make their living in the ring."

"Aw come on, please?" Sora pouted. The only reason Donald was able to resist such a brutal attack was his reasoning that he was preventing that pouting boy from getting himself hurt, or killed or... _worse_. It was impossible to know what some people were capable of.

"No."

"_Please...?_"

"No!"

"... I'll buy you ice cream."

"Sora, I said NO!"

--

"Sora, stop pouting. The only reason I'm letting you watch is so you can realize just how out of your league you are here." Sora did _not_ stop pouting, even if they were sitting in the stands for _free_. Donald didn't understand it.

"But it's an _amateur's_ tournament! I could _totally_ survive here!"

"Sora, you wanted to enter the experts tournament because you wanted that set of genji armor. You _would've_ been killed there. No question."

"I dunno Donald, we could've entered as a team. I could've used the genji shield. Real nifty piece of equipment there..."

"Goofy, don't encourage him. I'm warning you." The very temperature seemed to drop around them.

"Gwarsh..."

"Well, can I at least get myself a pretzel?" Sora asked, seeming to accept his situation.

"No."

"...Why not?"

"Because there's still time to enter the tournament, and the sign up is right beside the pretzel stand." Sora looked like Christmas had been canceled. "Sora, honestly, you're too young, too inexperienced, and you simply are not strong enough yet to tough your way through a tournament full of fighters that have all these things."

"Donald, you're bein' kinda harsh, don't ya think?"

"And as far as age goes, I saw two people entering who weren't that much older then me. Like, sixteen something."

"_No_ Sora."

"Aw..."

--

The dwarves were strong. Dwarves were always strong. Maleficent however, noted with a sense of pride that she was able to overcome _seven_. But it was such a waste that seven strong warriors each lost their hearts in the defense of a single useless girl, who could do nothing but cower in fear as each lost their lives one after the other. Such was the fate of heroes. Now she needed to mix herself an elixir to take care of the limp she was now sporting.

It was hard to mind though, when you had achieved one of your life's goals. Snow White was now hers. The rest would follow quickly. She had also managed to find another one in Jafar's world which was fortunate beyond belief, given his gift for hypnosis and his position _right beside the world's ruler_.

Honestly, could things _get_ any more continent then that? If they could, she certainly wanted to find out.

"Ah, Maleficent. Welcome back. However, I regret to inform you that we may have a problem." Ursula greeted her as she walked into the scrying room.

"And what problem would this be?"

"Would you happen to know, or Itachi for that matter, would either of you know if there's a princess on a small world called Traverse Town?" Maleficent had heard of the small world, a hive of survivors from broken worlds. The chances of a princess residing there was probable indeed. However, she hadn't given it any thought until now, so the world remained uninvestigated.

"What reason is there to look into it?" Maleficent inquired. It _was_ a good place to look, but the mention of a problem suggested sooner would be better then later. It would be nice to find out how much more important 'sooner' was. Ursula was about to answer, but she was cut off rather rudely by that pirate.

"That loony who wanted into our exclusive club a while back is on his way there for some reason. The lubber probably intends to leave the world in ruins on his way out, whether he has a reason or not." That was undoubtedly true. The man in question was unstable beyond belief. Mentally, he was swiss cheese. No time to lose.

"Itachi." Maleficent addressed the ninja behind her. He had shown no sign of even hearing her, all he did was make eye contact. It was normal for him. "We need a world investigated. I trust you heard the situation?" Obviously he did, because he then turned his back and left.

"... That bastard is beginning to get on my nerves." Oh Captain Hook, stop, before you get yourself killed.

Maleficent surveyed the room, now that there was a chance.

"I know where Jafar is, but what could _Hades_ possibly be doing?" The good Captain shrugged.

"He's just another loony. Could be doing anything."

--

"Hey, Cloud, baby, sweetie pie, we need to talk." Cloud sighed. He already hated this irritating man so _very _much, but he couldn't tell Hades to screw off because he had information that Cloud needed. Such was business, dealing with people you didn't like. Hades _knew_ that Cloud hated him, but the underworld lord seemed to revel in the fact.

That made his mood worse.

"What?" He replied curtly, hoping to get this unpleasant 'request' out of the way so much faster. This was not the first time he had been given a 'request'. In exchange for five favors, Cloud would be given the information he needed, and he could leave and never talk to the man again. This was to be the fifth, win the tournament, and accept the exhibition match against a supposed corrupt champion. Then kill him. Normally, Cloud would leave at a commission like this. However, despite being quite less then pleasant, so far, Hades had been truthful. His first four favors were all alike, in that he was defeating monsters that were terrorizing nearby towns, then bringing them in to the god for 'questioning'. Despite this, Cloud didn't trust the hot head as far as he could figuratively throw him. Figuratively, because if pressed, Cloud could probably throw him across a blitzball sphere. Suffice to say, Cloud was suspicious. And he _hated_ being used and lied to.

"I need to give you a little condition to your favor." Oh, _this_ should be good.

"And that is?"

"All the applicants for the tournament signed waivers, in case they were accidentally killed, didn't they?" Cloud _really_ didn't like where this was going. His glare was proof. Hades adopted a serious face in response, and his following tone was as if he was addressing a disobedient subordinate.

"Oh, you already know what I'm about to ask? Makes things more simple, but so I'm sure there's nothing lost in translation... I want you to kill every opponent you come across."

"And _why_ would I have to do that? They have nothing to do with Hercules, why do I have to kill them too?" And he was _only_ going to follow through if this Hercules was as evil as the god said he was. Everybody else was innocent.

"Because, I want to make sure you'll keep to the bargain. If you follow through with this, then I've got no doubt Herc's going to be seeing me soon after. Down under. Kapish?"

"There isn't a single difference either way."

"Sure there is kiddo. I'll know _now_, instead of _later_. And then I can sit back, drink my half coconut with a straw and little umbrella, and _relax_, because I'll be getting what I want in the end."

"You're already getting what you want."

"Well, that's not good enough right now. I know where he is, and I won't tell you unless you play by my rules, and play _nice_." Cloud was so good with his buster sword, _so_ talented, he could skin this guy alive in four or five seconds if only he would keep acting like an arrogant son of a-

"..." Cloud said nothing, and walked into the ring for the first match.

"Play nice now, or no one winged angel playmate for you when you come home from-." Cloud shut out the god and resisted the violent urge to break something. Pity he was such a nice guy.

That blue bastard was lucky he didn't have Tifa's temper.

--

"AWRIGHT, who's ready for a _Beat_down!" Sora began to feel a little glad he didn't enter when he saw that man walk in. Hair spikier then his, and a sword that could've doubled as an _airplane wing_ were just two reasons. He would've listed more, but he was quite distracted by the strange man's opponent. A kid that looked just about his age came rocketing into the ring on a skateboard of all things, and in a single jump, managed several complicated tricks before landing on his feet, skateboard under his arm.

"Yeah! Beat is in the HOUSE! Don't try that at home kids, or yer ma's gonna come after me! Now, who am I messing up? Is it you?" The referee shook his head no, and pointed at the other guy with the giant sword. "Oh, you! You're goin' down like a sack of somethin' heavy! Hey, start the match! I wanna get this over with, yo!" The boy was dressed a white tank-top and beige cargo pants that looked just a little too loose. Covering most of his blonde hair was a black skull cap. Said skull cap was pulled down so it barely shadowed his eyes, and fitting to it's name, a large white skull decorated the forehead. His skateboard was a camouflage print, a popular design Sora remembered from back home. Could it be possible that this guy was from Earth...?

Sora was a little worried now. All Beat (if that was his name) was holding was his skateboard, whereas the other combatant was wielding the biggest sword Sora had ever seen. Beat was unarmed. Was he an _idiot?_

"Hey spiky! This is your chance to forfeit, yo! I'll be sendin' ya back to mama with more then just road rash!" Either he had a plan, or he was as dumb as a brick. 'Spiky', did nothing but ready his sword. With a 'begin' from the referee, Beat whooped, and jumped on his skateboard. And it quickly became obvious just what his weapon was.

He was fast, he was strong, and he was _constantly off of the ground_, as he jumped and_ bounced _around the other man, lashing out with a limb, or the crushing force of the 'not-so-useless-anymore' skateboard. Beat wasn't flying per-say, but instead, flying back at the swordsman immediately after bouncing of the blocking sword The other man seemed to be on the defensive, as Beat attacked from several angles, only to drop and touch the ground for the first time since the match began, planting his hand on the stone floor of the ring. He whipped around, a vicious sweep kick and for some reason, the skateboard didn't fly off his feet, it was as if it was _glued_ to his shoes...

Throughout the entire onslaught, Cloud did nothing but block every attack that came at him, and leap over the sweep, which looked _very_ potentially painful with the way it cut a groove into the arena floor. Beat didn't seem to be discouraged at all, lazily costing backwards and around Cloud on four wheels.

"Hey, is that _all_ ya gonna do? Com'_on_, les go dumbass!" Cloud had obviously by now had enough, and dashed forward to the surprised boarder, slugging him in the face with a vicious punch. As Beat flew backwards, Cloud leapt to meet him, hammering him into the ground with the flat of his sword. Beat grunted, opened his eyes, and saw that the match had ended, and he was staring down the business end of a buster sword. His eyes widened in realization that he might _die_.

Nothing happened for a few tense moments, just Beat on the ground, and Cloud standing with his swordpoint at Beat's throat, staring intensely into the boy's eyes, waiting for something. Eventually, Beat figured out what it might be. At least it was something he had to do anyway...

"I... forfeit... dammit..." Beat obviously didn't want to go out so easily or quickly.

"...Something's wrong here." Donald said, sitting on the edge of his seat. He had got there the minute the swordsman counterattacked.

"What's that?" Goofy asked, puzzled.

"That boy was an amateur, a_ strong_ one but still.._. _The man was obviously not an amateur at all." Sora was inclined to agree. The boy got his skateboard served back to him on a platter. "He's got experience, in spades. Why would he enter an amateur's event when he could easily sweep the intermediate and win close to twice the prize money, and some equipment to sell? Or enter the expert for four times the prize money, and some very valuable armor? He hit the boy _twice_, and won easily, barely using that weapon at all."

"Well... hey, Donald, wasn't there some sort of power cap on the amateur's entry? Shouldn't he be disqualified?"

"Exactly." And Donald said nothing else. Sora turned back to the ring, to see the retreating back of the warrior, leaving Beat to pick himself up off the ground. Something _was_ going on.

"So... why would someone that strong be allowed in?"

"Somebody's bending the rules. Meaning that that swordsman is here for a very specific reason. And the boy wasn't his target."

--

"He wasn't the target."

"_I KNOW HE'S NOT THE TARGET!_" Cloud had heard once that the especially hot flames burned blue, while regular flames appeared orange. He wondered idly why Hades switched to red skin and orange flames when he was angry. "But I _TOLD_ you to kill him! You're grating on my last nerve kid, and if you refuse to play by my rules one more time, there's going to be consequences, _believe_ me!" Again, Cloud had _enough_. Matching the 'god of the dead' with an equally fierce glare, he stated as simply as he could;

"I'm not killing _anyone_ unless I have to. If you're not going to play by _my_ rules, my job ends here." And with that, Cloud blew out the god's fire hair, and walked over to check the next match. He was going to mop up the rest of the tourney, refuse the exhibition match, take his prize money, and leave. The only reason he wasn't dropping out now, was his complete lack of cash at the moment. And since he wasn't getting information _or_ payment from his ex-employer, he had to take what he could get. He didn't regret his decision for a second. The man he was looking for was important. He wasn't worth the trail of blood Cloud would be leaving behind his boots.

Whatever god knew Sephiroth would _gloat_ if he found out.

And next time, he was entering the expert level tournament. That armor would've made him a fortune...

"Alright, alright, I'm nothing if not an understanding guy. If you don't want to work for me, far be it from me to change your mind." Hades said, re-lighting his head with blue flames, meaning he had actually calmed down. "Be seeing you kid." Cloud _really_ didn't like being called 'kid'. He was lamenting his decision less and less by the second. It was hard to take a man seriously when he introduced himself as a _god_ of all things...

--

"Would the next challenger come forth?" The referee announced to whoever was listening. As it turned out, after the swordsman's wiping out of Beat, everyone else forfeited. All except for one fighter. Since he had just been catapulted into the finals, it seemed like a pretty good deal.

And he wasn't the type to give up at _all_. Again, a blur rocketed out of the opposing gate into the ring. Two blurs in fact.

"YOSH! My burning flames of youth will win me the day!" The green blur said as he landed in the ring. A green spandex body suit, and a green flak vest of some kind made up his outfit. The only other things of note were the red sash around his waist, a metal plate where a belt buckle would normally be, and orange leg warmers extended from the ankle of his toe-less shoes, up to his knees. Another thing to note would be the epically massive eyebrows the boy was sporting. When compared with this decidedly bizzare package, the his bowl cut hair seemed almost normal.

"Charmander!" Cried the other blur, revealing itself to be an orange lizard, standing on it's hind legs up to about the boy's knee. It was also wearing a green spandex suit, without the vest, sash, or leg warmers, probably specially made. The tip of it's tail was engulfed in a flame. Both took similar stances of an unfamiliar martial art, their left arm curled behind and pressing against the small of their backs, while the right was at a fourty-five degree angle to the ground, palm open. Both also grinned, and it was obvious that they spent hours brushing their teeth because said smiles were _blinding_. The boy saw fit to introduce himself now, after such an entrance.

"I am Rock Lee, the beautiful green beast of the Hidden Leaf Village! Against the combined might of myself, and my youthful companion Homori, you don't stand a chance!" The lizard agreed, it was simple to see.

"Char!"

"Well, fortunately, he won't _have_ to stand against your combined might, because this is a singles tournament." The referee said. "One of you is going to have to leave, unless you want to be disqualified. Entering as a team only means you get to decide on one fighter beforehand." Both Lee and Homori visibly deflated, as if air was slowly let out of them both.

"But... but... how could I misunderstand the rules?! And I wanted to fight alongside Homori so much! How will I bask in the light of his springtime of youth _now?!_"

"You both can fight, if you want." The swordsman offered, and while the comment would seem arrogant normally, his tone felt more like he was doing the green boy a favor. Lee and Homori immediately stopped holding their heads and crying out in anguish, moving back into their identical stances as if the ridiculous display had never happened. It was plain to see that the entire audience was basking in the light of 'what the hell?' as the entire arena fell so silent it began to hurt Sora's ears.

--

"So, uh... begin?" And no sooner then the words were out of the referee's mouth, Lee was off like a shot, as his lizard friend leaped into the air and spewed raging fire at the swordsman. Beat had been relatively strong by himself, all things considered. Now, with Lee hitting him on virtually all sides with advanced martial arts, the only real difference was the fact there was ranged support, and Cloud was forced to move, or suffer what might've been severe burns. Despite his various types of protection, fire would _never_ stop hurting unless you were made of it.

Lee seemed to fly, and it was different then the wild hammering of Beat. Lee was unusually graceful as he flipped, punched, spun, and kicked in a never ending flurry of blows in the air as well as on the ground. And the obvious teamwork he and the lizard had complimented it wonderfully, as he didn't have to be afraid of the fire at all.

Homori rained fireballs around them, to where he was, and places where Cloud considered moving to during the fight, and the swordsman had to admit, it was impressive. Cloud would _still_ win. But it was plain to see that the pair facing him would quickly become something dangerous over time.

And the boy _still_ had yet to lose that grin of his. Time to make things a little interesting, it seemed.

Cloud began to fight back.

--

Hades stood, arms folded and leaning against the side of the massive door. The fight raged on, and while Hades appreciated a good fight, this one wouldn't end in a bloody death either.

He liked that kind of end. This was going to end boring. So... time to make things a little interesting, it seemed.

"Sic 'em." Three fearsome growls answered the order, and a large shadow lunged forward.

--

This fight was awesome. Sora still kinda wished it was him down there in the heat of things, but watching Lee occasionally disappear from view, the man swinging around a gigantic sword as if it were a _pillow_, and a small lizard creating _explosions_... Sora felt like he was watching a few of his childhood Saturday morning cartoons made real, and that was good enough at the moment. The feeling was nostalgic, and it got his adrenalin pumping because it was bloody freaking _epic_. Sora wished foolishly for something _he_ could fight in an awesome display of heroism, and as per his brand of luck, his wish was granted rather promptly.

"_GRAAAAGH!_" Went the huge three headed dog that came bounding out of nowhere into the ring, interrupting the match, and getting ready to raise hell. It was obvious this wasn't planned, so naturally, everybody in the audience panicked and evacuated in a screaming mess of disorganized pushing, shoving, and accidental inappropriate touching. The swordsman seemed almost used to such a thing, as he switched targets and began combating the monster, this time using the great sword's blade for the first time Sora had seen. Lee took a moment to figure out what was happening, and then jumped to back the swordsman up, landing a vicious axe kick to a head attempting to bite the man's back. Homori, being a small bipedal lizard, about two feet tall, really couldn't do anything to the giant enemy but spit as much fire as it possibly could. At the least, the fire was making it hard for the beast to concentrate, but it was otherwise ineffective.

"_Blizaga!_" Yelled Donald on Sora's right, and out of the ground shot a jagged iceberg, surprising the three fighters in the arena.

"Hey! What's all the noise abou- _Woah!_ _What the hell is that?!_" Beat came walking out of the side, and took a moment to notice the two guys rushing down into the ring, the three people _in_ the ring, all the ice and fire, _and_ the ginormus beast in the middle. At this point, Beat did what he always did in situations like these.  
"Aw _YEAH!_ Time for some _action!_ You're going to the pound fluffy!" Like a cannon, Beat launched himself at the dog, skateboard first, laughing like an idiot. Granted, he was laughing like an idiot about to do some damage, but any other situation and Sora would've doubled over in laughter himself.

Speaking of, when did Sora start charging into the very dangerous arena? It was somewhere in between the _blizaga_, and Beat coming back for more fighting. Why was he charging into the arena? There was a giant three headed dog there, and there was already a lot of people fighting it, it probably wouldn't last long. They didn't need him, he reasoned.

But he still charged, jumped out of the way of a stomping foot, and began to gather as much magic as he could while cutting deep into the leg.

The dog was panicking, confused, and being slowly forced back as the attacks began to take their toll. It was an odd sort of teamwork that had manifested itself between the seven fighters, something that seemed to create itself. A battle formation had happened without anyone realizing it.

Goofy, Cloud, and Beat attacked the front, battering any attacking heads while Lee kept bounding from one head to the next, attacking with punches and kicks that could easily split stone. Donald and Homori stood back, supporting at a range. Sora, was charging through to the front, Keyblade crackling with as much magic as he could shove into it.

He hadn't even let off the spell yet, and he still felt empty.

With a sicking _crack_, Goofy impacted one of the front legs harshly, and the bone seemed to break. Stumbling forward, the dog's guard was down, and everybody saw their chance. However, they held back when they saw Sora running right into the beast with a glowing Keyblade.

"_Raijinken!_" Right between the eyes of the middle head, the blow hit, and the thunder fell.

While in terms of magical strength, the _Raijinken_ wasn't quite as powerful as Donald's _Thundara_, it was made more to hammer then to electrocute. It wasn't just a magical ability, but more a powerful physical strike. Thus, it had a different kind of power altogether.

And that was why the Keyblade split the skull of the middle head when Donald's thunderbolts would not. The left head was split in a similar fashion by Cloud's sword landing a killing blow. The head on the right was impaled on a particularly sharp ice spike jutting out of the ground. And Sora was confused then, and sick because he really did split one of the dog's skulls after all, but after that, he was confused.

The dog dissolved into darkness. It wasn't a heartless.

"What...?" Were there other monsters that died like the heartless? Evidently, there were... He would be asking Donald about this later.

--

Meanwhile, Hades was annoyed. Not angry, but annoyed. Why the _hell_ (he pardoned his pun) did they have to gang up on Cerberus? That just wasn't fair. Moreover, why did Cerberus preform so badly? He swore he trained the dog better then that.

He was even house broken. Three headed hell hounds weren't normally house broken.

Well, no treats for quite a while, Hades decided. Cerberus failed. But at the least, he managed to get Cloud somehow. Sure the guy probably felt like a big man, slaying the beast...

"But, with no more tournament, guess who's sleeping on the streets? Good luck getting money now, kid." Now would be a good time to go check in with Maleficent. She'd be back with another princess by now. Time for a party.

If there was anything he was good at, it was parties. Death in general didn't count because that was his job. He did partys for fun.

"That hatter and hare got nothing on me. Unbirthdays... that's a load of _something_..."

--

The beast had been vanquished, and general crisis averted. All that was left, was that lingering feeling of '_what the hell do we do now?_'

Cloud took the initiative, holstering the giant sword on his back, and walking out of the arena.

"Hey, who the hell does that guy think he is?!" Beat asked loudly. "We _all_ worked our asses off to take that thing down, and he just _leaves_." The boy crossed his arms, scowling. "We didn't even get a 'thank you,' yo."

"Such a cool, hip, attitude..." Lee mused to himself as Homori, next to him, studied the new people with a curious interest.

"No, that's an _asshole_ attitude. I should know, there was this one guy back hom- ah..." Beat then, very noticeably, changed the subject.

"So, why weren't you in the tournament? Or were you three some of those scrubs who wussied out after my match?"

"I _would've_ entered. But _somebody_ said no." Donald was shaking, resisting the urge to wack the back of Sora's head with his staff.  
"So... what are your stories?" Sora asked, plopping down on his behind in the ring. The others, seeing nothing better to do at _all_ followed suit.

"Name's Beat. My... my world broke, I guess. I'm lookin' for someone. She's all I got left." Beat fidgeted with his fingers, sitting on his skateboard.

"We... we got separated. I _know_ she survived. I had her, but..."

"Mander!" Beat looked down and noticed the little orange lizard patting his knee sympathetically. Lee smiled.

"Homori is right. If she survived the world's breaking, then she _must_ be strong enough to survive anything else!"

"...I think we only survived 'cause we got lucky."

"Luck is a part of strength." Lee pressed, still smiling in a way that couldn't help but reassure him.

"...So... you can understand this thing?" Beat asked, poking the lizard in the stomach lightly. It was dificult to believe that a creature giggling the way it did then could create enough fire to make a dragon jealous.

"Of course! Homori is my partner, and together, our flames of youth burn strongly!" Beat's expression suggested he didn't really know what to think about that. With a cry of 'Charmander!', the lizard agreed whole heartedly. Beat wondered if perhaps the thing was as young as it looked. Then it could've been corrupted by this psycho...

"My name is Rock Lee, and this is my companion, Homori."

"Char!"

"... What is he?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side, examining the lizard. "Sorry, I've just never seen a fire breathing lizard before."

"He is aparently something called a Pokemon, one of several types. He's a Charmander. When I found him, I took the liberty of naming him." He seemed very proud of this. Homori seemed likewise, very fond of his name. "Oddly enough, people have been throwing things at him quite often... you wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

"Ah, no... well, my name's Sora. This is Goofy, and Donald." Goofy raised a hand in greeting, while Donald grumbled about his name being mentioned last. This was probably because of his general bad mood today...

"Hey, now that we're all acquainted and stuff, can I ask for somethin'?" Beat asked. Nobody chose to comment about the question's abruptness until Sora answered.

"Sure, what?"

"Do any of you guys have a ship or anythin'? This place doesn't know anything I need, so I wanna leave. I'll work, don't think I won't! It's just... I can't really count on any prize money now..." Everyone fell silent. This guy was doing the pity thing to a 'T', making it very hard to say no.

"D-Donald, we've got room, right? And... he could help us out, right? Right?" Seeing Sora so hopeful for a reason _not_ to deny the skateboarder was making things even harder. Donald sighed, and wondered briefly when _he_ became 'the parent'. Not a literal parent by any means, but that person who everybody talked to first, asked for permission, what have you. He supposed that he _did_ have the highest rank of anyone in the ship (saying nothing of Sora- and Beat now, he supposed- who had no rank).

Now that he noticed he actually _was_ the one in charge, it made the decision a little easier to make. At times, authority gave him an important feeling, one he had in spades back at Disney Castle. It 'stuffed his shirt' a little bit, knowing that he commanded such respect even outside the castle.

"Provided you earn your keep, we'll take you with us. However! You are with _us_, and as thus, have no saying over where we're headed! Understood?" Donald finished with a stern tone. Authority felt _good_.

"Yeah! You won't regret this or nothin' I swear! Now when do we leave?!" Beat yelled jumping to his feet. "And where's yer ship?! I wanna be up in space yesterday, yo!" Donald didn't regret his decision, not really. However, it was now clear that Beat was going to be running at full blast the entire way. He hoped there was enough work to be done to keep him diverted...

"I wish you luck, my new friends. Now me and my youthful friend need to find out when the next tournament is. We're off!"

"Charmander!" Lee took off out of the Colosseum, perhaps to track down the referee. If there was another tournament, he would probably know...

"Hey Sora! You were great and all, fightin' like that, but what the heck are you hitting stuff with a toy for?! Common, get yourself a man's beat-stick! Les get ya a baseball bat! You'll _destroy_ things with one'a'those..." Oh joy. Sora _once again_ had to explain how '_not a toy_' the Keyblade was.

They left the shattered remains of the ring, before anyone arrived to ask the wrong questions.

_(Whoo! Chapter Thirteen done! I probably lost readers when Lee showed those gleaming teeth of his, but hey, my story._

_Mine._

_So, anyways, If anyone's wondering about Beat, he's from a rather recent release for the DS called 'The World Ends With You.' Funny story, it's made by SquareEnix, meaning we might be seeing him or somebody else from the games in the new Kingdom Hearts. Hope so, because 'TWEWY' was an awesome game. I suggest it, because not only is it good, but you will NEVER play anything like it. Good original games are hard to come by these days, so pick that up post haste. Alright, there, I publicized the game, now GIMME MY MONEY! Dammit, somebody's getting shanked if I don't see some financial gain!  
_

_Wow though, this one took a while compared to the others, and I haven't seen any reviews. I realize this story isn't exactly mainstream because Riku isn't taking Sora up the bum (yet), but I don't think it's THAT bad... right?_

_Remember, totally not whining. I said I wouldn't._

_Also, three cheers for the Pokemon. Another reader of mine might be glad to see them. He should also know that a favorite Pokemon of both of ours is going to be making an appearance sometime in the second book, because frankly, she's too cool NOT to be in there. You know who YOU are._

_Now, did anyone call for a very sexy ninja? No? How 'bout a pair of Omakes?)_

OMAKE #1 BITCH!

"Charmander!" Cried the other blur, revealing itself to be an orange lizard, standing on it's hind legs up to about the boy's knee. Both assumed a fighting stance, before the match was called on account of interference from the audience.

"Oh my GOD, it's not registered!" Yelled a kid near Sora holding a Pokedex. Frantically, he reached into his side bag, pulled out a baseball shaped device, and hurled it into the ring with perfect accuracy. More soon followed. A LOT more.

"Holy Miltank, a wild Pokemon! You don't see any of the COMMON ones anymore! Then a rare one jumps out of nowhere, what are the odds?!"

"Hey! Get out of my way, I saw it first!"

"I will FIGHT you!"

"Please, My Pokemon would kick your-"

"Quit PUSHING!"

"Oh god_ BAD TOUCH!_"

"AGH!" The arena was quickly turning into a different kind of battle ring, while in the real ring, Homori and Lee were deflecting Pokeballs left and right.

"Why, everywhere we go, _WHY?!_"

"Hey!" Interrupted a boy who had leapt into the ring, and was holding out a Pokeball as if it was something to be feared. A large yellow mouse creature sat on his shoulder.  
"My name is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokemon Master! That Charmander is-" The boy, Ash, was cut off. Course, that's normal when the foot of a giant three headed dog crushes you underneath. Everything stopped at the very obvious fatality. Up until...

"Hey! I call dibs on THAT one!" A single Pokeball flew out from the stands, and struck the dog in one of his heads. Sora's jaw dropped as it was then transformed into red energy, and sucked inside.

"_HEY! WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO TO MY DOG?!_"

"Sora." Donald said, tugging his sleeve. "We're leaving."

"Yeah, let's get out of here. That blue guy down there gives me the creeps."

OMAKE #2 EAT IT HAHA!

"_Raijinken!_" Sora yelled, plunging the Keyblade into the ground. A lightning bolt dropped out of the sky, and smoke filled the area. When it cleared, a familiar green and black ninja stood on the scene, idly fidgeting with his katana.

"Oh, again so soon? Well, at least you picked something big this time..." Raijinken said, sizing up the growling Cerberus. "So, how have you been since the last time I saw you? Me, I've been fine, still can't get a date to save my life... is it the mask? It might be the mask... Really don't want to take it off though, I mean it's-"

"-Uh, later! Right now, go get him!" Raijinken looked Sora deep in the eye.

"Hey, what's the magic word?"

"What?! Come on!"

"No, I'm serious. Sure, you summoned me, but seriously, manners, or I walk. I'm polite to you, taking time out of my busy schedule to come and save your ass from certain painful doom, and here you are ordering me around like I'm your servant. No Sora, no that is _not_ how we make friends. Now, _what is the magic word?_"

"...Please go fight the evil three headed dog?"

"Nice manners, but that's not the magic word."

"Oh COME ON-"

"Alright, I've had my fun. Oh, by the way, the magic word is fudge. And I'd be very grateful if I got some of that magic word next time you decided to pop me into existence. _Very grateful_."

"Uh..."

"Yeah, alright, I'm going to fight now. Hey! YOU! Yeah, I'm talking to you, you three headed, carpet wetting, sorry excuse for... hang on, lost my train of thought. Ah, whatever, I'm just going to cut you." Sora briefly wondered if Raijinken had taken a little bit of Wonderland back with him the first time...

OMAKE #3 BECAUSE I CAN LOL!

"Alright, now that that's over, Sora! We were having a lovely conversation a bit ago, weren't we?"

"Raijinken?! Is that you?!" Lee shouted in disbelief

"Huh? Lee! I haven't seen you since Ninja-con last year! How've you been?!"

"Just fine my friend! But, why haven't you taken my suggestion of spandex seriously? Such a youthful material to use!"

"Oh, well I would have, but my gear's custom made. And the only place you can conceal weapons on that thing is in your leg warmers, and your vest. I've got too many places to count on this fashion statement here."

"Ah, right you are! But you still have great taste in color!"

"Oh, I know. Green's the best, am I right?"

"Your youthful appreciation for youthful colors shines through with blinding radiance! RAIJINKEN!"

"Your extensive knowledge of awesome colors burns brighter then the sun! LEE!"

"RAIJINKEN!"

"LEE!" And now they were hugging. Sora was reminded of a post card he had seen once, of a similar scene happening on a beach, with a sunset in the background. He wasn't sure why, but he was.

"RAIJINKEN!"

"LEE!" Alright, that did it. Wonderland infected him somehow. He was going to have to _force_ himself to summon the loony ninja again...

_(Alright, I got nothing else. Next chapter's coming whenever I feel like it._

_In the next exciting episode of OATHKEEPER! Beat has joined the party, but will it be enough to protect them from the dangers that lie ahead? Prepare for thrills as Sora is exposed to an entirely new brand of danger! Prepare for chills, as death stalks them from every shadow! And prepare for tears as Sora is forced to learn that no hero is capable of saving everybody. All this and more, in the next exciting installment of OATHKEEPER!)_


	16. Ch 14: The Beat Goes On

_(One day, in part of Canada, I was lounging on my couch when suddenly, for no reason, I smacked myself in the head, went to my laptop, scrapped two pages of this chapter, and wrote like, six in it's place. Behold, the fruit of spontaneous... something. I don't even know what the hell made me do it, but I did it, and here it is. This one's a wee short though. Meh, world comes next so I'm forgiven. I know I am.  
_

_Everything that has a copyright is copyrighted to their respective owners.)_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Fourteen: The Beat Goes On

"No. No it's not. Ya can't make me believe it."

"I'm _telling_ you, it's a legendary weapon."

"Nuh-uh. _That_ can't be any kind of legend, yo."

"Beat, seriously. Donald told you the legends. Then vouched for it. Goofy did too. Even _Snoopy_ did. Later on, if you're still with us next time we go to Traverse Town, they'll be able to tell you too. Why are you the _only_ one who doesn't believe it?"

"B'cause it just doesn't _work_, ya know?"

"...I give up..." Sora said, falling back on his bunk. Beat, on the bunk above him gave a 'meh' and tried to think of something else to talk about. The most obvious thing came to mind, and he kicked himself for not trying it a few days ago.

"Hey, Sora. What was ya world like?" Beat asked, tentatively. Something was nagging at the back of his head as to why this question wasn't good to ask, but he had forgotten.

"Well... hm..." Sora got a pensive look on his face. Probably thinking about all the things that got destroyed and- oh, _that_ was why it was a bad idea...

"Ya don't have to say nothin' if ya don't wanna. Jus... ya know. I'll tell ya about mine."

"...My world was called Earth. An-"

"_No freakin way!_" Sora jumped at the unexpected interruption, and scowled. Oh no they were _not_ going to argue about _this_.

"Hey, I'm telling the truth so-"

"_My_ world was called Earth too! Like... what kinda coincidence is _that_, yeah?" Whoa, hang on.

"_What?!_"

"Yeah, I know! Well... there's a lotta worlds, so I guess maybe there's some chance Earth's a popular name, yeah?"

"Well... Where on Earth are you from?" If they were from the same world, something he said might sound familiar. Sora listened intently.

"Japan. I lived in a district where a lot of... people who aren't from Japan lived. Near a place called Shibuya, in Tokyo..."

"That sounds like my Earth. Japan and Tokyo, they're there."

"Ya mean... same world?"

"...Yeah. What are the odds?"

"Pretty bad. Even I know how many worlds there are... well, not really, but ya know..."

"Yeah, I know..." Sora _did_ know. Aside from Riku and Kairi, who weren't with him at the moment, there was absolutely nothing left of his old home. But, corny as it sounded, Beat himself was living proof that he once _had_ a home. "I know..."

The feeling was surreal. He could tell from the silence that the older boy was thinking the same thing... Sora had found out that Beat was fifteen years old. He had to go through the same thing Sora did, at almost the same age, at the same time... He wondered if Beat had friends like his. Bonds as strong as his... Sora cleared his throat, trying to start the conversation up again.

"Well, after Earth broke... man, the magic and stuff... kinda came out of nowhere, didn't it?"

"Hah! Maybe for _you_ it did..." Wait... what was that?

"Beat, what are you talking about? There was nothing like that on our world... was there?"

"Well... I don't think it was all over tha' place, like it is out here... In Shibuya, it was there..."

--

_"Beat, no!"_

_"Rhyme, what- Rhyme, what the hell!"_

_"GRAAGH!"_

_"The hell was... Rhyme?! No... Rhyme? No... NO!"_

--

"It was... everywhere. Nobody saw it, but it was there, ya know? Nobody else saw..."

"... Beat?"

"I dunno if it was anywhere else... but, in Shibuya... you didn't die right away..."

"You mean, like ghosts and stuff?"

"No, nothin' like that. Ya... just didn't die right away. You'd end up somewhere else, in the same place. Nobody could see ya, but ya could see other dead people... And..." Beat stopped talking for a very loaded minute. The atmosphere was suffocating because there was no question Sora was about to discover something very dark about his world. "It was kinda like... that place with all the fightin' yo."

"The colleseum?"

"Yeah, that place. 'Cept... a lot less rules, and... you'd die, _again_ I mean, you'd die again if you didn't follow them, and they were _still_ trying to kill ya anyway. Like..."

--

_"YO! What'd ya do with Rhyme?!"_

_"God, if you can't figure that out, you're about as smart as that board you're carrying around."_

_"Yo, I asked you a question! Now ANSWER me before I kick your ass from here to Canada!"_

_--_

"It's wierd... ya know, _I_ was dead too. But... I'm not dead anymore. I dunno why. So..."

"Wait, what was the point of it all? I mean... die again? I believe you, but... seem kinda pointless..."

"There was a point. Winner gets to live."

"..._What?_"

"You die, wake up in Shibuya, and for a week, ya do whatever ya can to survive. Winner gets to live again. And there's... a lotta ways to die, yo."

--

_"Your job?! What kinda job means killin' people?! Is that why you..."_

_"Finally he gets it. But keep in mind, I wasn't aiming for her. I was aiming at YOU, Skulls."_

--

"... What kind of sick game is that?"

"It's _the_ game. And... it's the only chance we had... What other choice did we have, yeah? Just... had to be careful... not to..."

--

_"That's why she protected you. Gave her life for you."_

_"Rhyme is gone... because of me?"_

_--_

"...slip up..." The skater trailed off for some reason, lost in thought.

"...Beat...?" Sora inquired slowly, silently alarmed at the vacant look that overtook the skater's face. He seemed to snap out of it quickly though, shaking whatever it was away, and grinning sheepishly at the Keyblader.

"Heh... Sorry Sora. This probably..."

"Nah... I kinda know about that too. I mean... friends and all that..."

"... Yeah... I guess..." The silence that followed was somewhat awkward, with that vibe of 'well, what next?' stagnant in the air.

"...Wanna talk about it?" Sora asked after a minute or two of mental preperation. Even he knew that question was a game of Russian roulette all on it's own.

"I... I dunno... You got anything to talk about?"

"A couple of things..." Sora offered. He thought he knew what Beat was going through... the best cure in this case was probably to get it all off his chest. That, and despite how horribly insensitive it was, he really did want to hear about what could've possibly been going on on _his_ world. The only place he had left that embodied his sense of normalcy. Yet another aspect of his reality was falling apart before his eyes, but this time, he wanted to see it through.

"Well... We've got nuthin' better to do, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"...Kay then... ya'd better not fall asleep, yo!"

"As if!" Sora was telling the truth a little too well, he later found. Stories were told and exchanged, bonds were formed. And no sleep was had. Donald threw a fit as the two groggy boys slugishly worked at half the normal speed. Neither had any regrets.

A few nights later, Beat lay awake at night looking at the ceiling, thinking deeply about what he had told Sora.

Sora now knew that after Beat had died, he had met a twelve year old girl, nicknamed Rhyme in the game and formed a pact to make her his partner. He also knew that Rhyme had been erased, killed to use another term, because she was his partner.

_"So... she jumped in front of it?"_

_"Nah, it came from underneath. Bastard almost chomped me in half. So... so Rhyme jumped in, and pushed me outta the way. I still don't know how she managed that, she's like half my size, yo. But she did... and then... she knew it was going to be like that when she pushed me. So... why would she put her life in front of mine like that? She... barely knew me..."_

_"Well... you did keep her safe, didn't you? I mean... you were partners, so you had to watch eachother's backs. That's what partners do."_

_"But... she barely knew me! She had her whole life, and she threw it away for a stranger... What kinda thing is that to do?"_

_"... Sounds like a selfless kinda thing to do."_

_"..."_

_"So... so you wouldn't have saved her if you were in her place?"_

_"Of course I would've! She was my freaking... my partner..."_

_"Even though you didn't know her?"  
_

_"... Y-yeah..."_

Sora, freaking bastard, he smiled then. Sora had the balls to give him a wide toothy grin and say;

_"She probably knew that. So, that's why she saved you. You're just as selfless as her."_

Beat was not normally one for self control, but he had, through some miracle among miracles, managed to restrain every urge spuring him to slug Sora right in that big smile of his. And he also managed to hide the fact that he wanted to break something clear in half for a few hours afterwards. Only because nobody noticed his tightly clenched fists and grit teeth.

And then, nobody noticed that he had cried the moment he was alone. Afterwards, he swore to never cry again.

His anger had subsided, because despite what Sora had said, Beat couldn't hold it against him. It was impossible to be truly enraged unless he knew what exactly he was talking about.

Because he hadn't told Sora the entire truth that night. So Sora could smile all he fucking wanted because he didn't understand.

And Beat wouldn't get mad again. Promise.

--

They had been flying for a full week since they left the Colosseum. And Beat, the one who wouldn't -_couldn't_- stop moving, was more then a _little_ restless. There was nothing to smash, nothing to do for fun, and that included smashing things by the way, so he was _bored_.

Sora was quite bored too. While he loved the books that Leon had lent him, he still wasn't much of a recreational reader by nature. So he got tired of not moving around pretty fast. Though, not nearly as fast as Beat did, but still, by the third day, he wanted _out_.

It was worse since, Beat almost _refused_ outright to read.

"No way, thas' _lame_, yo." And then he would attempt to use the bridge as a skate park, and Sora was pretty sure by now that Donald would have ulcers by the time he left the ship. His dad had ulcers back before his world broke, (insert pause here to wallow in sorrow, check, moving on) and he knew that they wouldn't do much to improve the duck's already volatile temper.

However, given the frequency of occurrences the mage had blown his stack, it was debatable on whether such a short fuse could get any shorter. Maybe he could take tips from Goofy on how to relax? The simple knight seemed immune to any and all forms of even the most mild annoyance. When Sora reflected on this, it terrified him a little bit. He idly wondered on how long it would take Goofy to snap...

Nevermind that, he'd think more on it in his nightmares. He needed to face the problem at hand instead, that being, find a method of entertainment for Beat (and himself, mostly) that would keep the skater (and the Keyblader) out of Donald's feathers before _he_ snapped and put _everybody_, _literally_, on ice.

Sora didn't like the cold. And he didn't have a suitable substitute for his teddy bear to snuggle said cold away so- no, _no_, he was a big boy, a hero with a legendary weapon to boot, so he didn't need a stuffed animal to stave off the cold.

Real men snuggled girls.

...Wait, that was probably true, but it really didn't _sound_ manly at _all_.

_'...Note to self, find girlfriend anyway.'_ Meh. If anybody said he wasn't manly, he'd Keyblade them upside the head. That being said, he supposed he owed Yuffie one hell of a smack the-

"We've arrived." Donald said, nursing his temples, obviously beyond any sort of thankful conceived by mortals.

Donald (the captain, sorta) saying that they had arrived (meaning that they had gone somewhere they were trying to get to, which last he checked, was a world) meant that there would be room to walk. Meaning that as son as they landed, Beat was going to fly out the hatch like a bat out of hell, and maybe start grinding up the nearest building.

"Wait, what?! For real?! You better not be screwin' with me, or I'll-"

"_Yes_ Beat, we are landing. We've picked out a landing spot and we're going to be able to get off the ship in about five minutes. You would know this sooner if you weren't making a fort out of the mattresses in the crew quarters."

"Hey! Donchu look at me like that! What else was I supposed to do?!"

"Read?"

"No way, thas' _lame_, yo."

"... get ready to disembark. Sora, remember to carry an ether with you this time. Be prepared for everything."

"Yes Donald."

"Beat, I should've asked this before we left the Colosseum, but do you have a belt for potions?" Beat shook his head, grinning.

"Yo, why would I need somethin' like that when I've got all these pockets?" True, his cargo pants were loaded with pockets. But that still left the obvious flaw.

"Beat, with pockets, even if they button down, the potions still aren't secure. Chances are better that they would break while swinging around and the like. And the weight would be placed awkwardly for you."

"Ugh... you know healing stuff, right? Magic? Can't you use that?"

"It would be better if I saved my magic for attacking. Using it on healing would drain me that much faster."

"But... wouldn't it be better to use up your magic first? Cause, potions and stuff like that'll cost a lotta money, yo." Beat asked, thinking hard. It didn't seem to be something he did often, but since he was trying to make a rational argument, Donald 'took it easy' on him when he dashed it across the rocks.

"As far as priorities go, survival is higher then finances. I'd rather not risk your lives or mine to save a few gil."

"Aw..."

"Carry two potions in your pockets for now, ask Sora for them, and we'll pick you up a belt later when we visit Traverse Town." Beat looked confused, as he locked eyes with the duck.

"Yo, you know I got no money, right?"

"I said that _we_ would pick you up a belt. I know you've got no money." Donald said walking past the boy to get prepared for leaving the ship.

"So... why?" Beat asked quietly. Donald stopped and turned around, his expression questioning the boy on whether or not he was crazy.

"Why else? You're watching our backs, so you need to be able to stay alive. After all, we have to watch yours too, hm? On and off the battlefield." Donald then left a speechless Beat alone in the room, unaware of the emotional whirlwind such a simple gesture had caused.

Beat wasn't used to random acts of kindness. His parents were constantly telling him how disapointed in him they were, the kids at school were constantly avoiding the weird foreigner, and he was left wandering life with no goal of drive.

There was only one person who he could say that loved him without question in the entire world. But then Beat went and got himself killed, started a series of events that were _hell_, and then to top it all off, his world broke, and he lost what little he had left, including that one person.

Even before this, when absolutely anyone went out of their way for him, including that one person, Beat would be left dumbfounded, unable to say anything. He hadn't asked or pleaded for the gift that was going to come later, small though it might've been, so Beat stood on the ship's bridge for a few minutes to allow his brain to reboot because he had been _offered_ something. Then, unsure of what else to do, he left the control room to go find Sora, and ask about borrowing two potions.

And later he resolved to thank the duck. Because the last thing he wanted to look like was ungrateful.

--

_(Alright, now that the chapter's over, you might've noticed that I kinda focused on Beat. That's because I wanted to throw his character out there a little because he's a new element, and I don't know how many people have played The World Ends With You. So as far as he goes, some of you are flying completely blind. In fact, a friend of mine confused him with Seipher (if I spelt his name right... the FFVIII guy) at his description._

_I'm not going to play favorites, and put him over Sora. But by now, I think I've established that there's more to the ADHD skateboarder then meets the eye. That was my intention. Mission accomplished. Now there will be pineapple._

_Oh, also, no Omake. No, it wasn't because Sora didn't use the spell, I just wasn't feeling very funny at the time._

_One other thing before I go, yes, I do think that real men snuggle. I LIKE snuggling. Very much so. Now, if only I had somebody who WANTED to snuggle with me, I'd be good to go..._

_Meh. See you in the next chapter, unless somebody else drops a flame and I get indignant again. Though I don't like the idea of fighting over the internet (seriously, pointless), disarming the argument of somebody I didn't know at all was oddly satisfying, in a 'oh look at what I did' kind of way..._

_By the way, I'm still uncertain about pairings. So far, I've got two plans, one of which involves a Great Ninja from an FF game, while the other involves a literal 'Sora Sammich' between Riku and Kairi, because they're going to be very thankful at all the trouble he's going to for their sake, and lets face it people, he's gay for them BOTH. I can't really see one without the other two in a relationship..._

_But if he's with Yuffie... Hm... either senario would work. Lets hear some thoughts people._

_Keep in mind that whoever Sora gets set up with, there's going to be hawt dickings. Perhaps not on this website, but there WILL be dickings, mark my words. (Also I'm not against writing Yaoi for the purpose of the threesome, in case any of you were wondering. If it's Riku and Kairi, Sora's not going to be a virgin in ANY sense of the word by the time this series is through.)_


	17. Ch 15: Lord Of The Apes

_(Well faithful readers... it's been a while. Also I wish that I had faithful readers. Damn, that would be nice._

_I hit writers block, and then I was distracted by a brand spanking new X-Box 360, and Tales of Vesperia. It's a very distracting game. So goooood..._

_So, new chapter after a long time. Here's hoping the next one doesn't take so long, mm?_

_I'll apologize with an omake at the end. I wuv you all. Especially you Trevor._

_Haaa to all the Trevors now looking for the cameras I hid. You know you're paranoid now.)  
_

Oathkeeper

Chapter Fifteen: Lord Of The Apes

Most of his body was that which he made, a construct, out of only the finest materials available. A good many of his powers came from this fact alone however one crucial part of him remained the same throughout the entire process, and the subsequent processes where he improved on what he thought at the time was perfection.

This one part in question, was of course, his impassibly perfect brain. Never before was he disappointed with it's results, when he was creating his beloved children to vanquish his enemies, or when he was experimenting with the bodies of those brainless cattle that called themselves humans. Or any other animal for that matter.

He would improve his body, or create something, call it perfection, and then his brain, his wonderful mind would find a problem with this perfection or a way in that it could be improved upon, and he would be thus overjoyed at the prospect. Because every time he found a problem with perfection, it became more and more obvious that his brain was in fact, the perfection that he had achieved without even being aware.

This was not however his only joy, perish the thought. For after he found a method to travel between worlds (and not a moment too soon, before those heartless passed through and left no world behind), he found evidence of people who thought just like him. But no people themselves, such a pity.

The evidence he found, was in the form of records, research papers and files, test tubes and helpful labels. With these tools left to him by these wonderfully blessed creatures, he was gripped with a sense of inspiration far and away from what he had ever felt before. He wondered if those maggots, humans to be more clear, were more then fools when they ranted and raved about their artists. Said artists who claimed to be seized by similar inspiration, before going on to create whatever it was they considered art.

He saw no point to their art, but whether or not this wild desire to put his dexterous hands to work was the same as theirs was strangely intriguing to him. This lust to _make_ was..._ intoxicating_.

And so, Guildenstern, well known Genma demon lord, set himself to do just that. Picking up a file at random from his pile of treasures, he looked through the notes of one Albert Wesker, and again studied the effects, intents, and creation methods of one 'T-Virus'. The possibilities this opened up almost gave him pleasant shivers.

If the records of the first human he had ever gained respect for (particularly because he hadn't remained human for very long after this virus came into play) were all completely true, then this opened up new possibilities for _every_ last creation he had ever so much as dappled with in his spare time.

Pleasant shivers _indeed_.

Picking out a rather promising idea from the equations spawning in his perfect intelligent core, he summoned servants to prepare his lab. By the time the week was out, this project would have breath and blood.

Thank the gods a being such as he needed not bother with something as bothersome as sleep anymore. His genius overcame anything and everything. And it would again triumph, undoubtedly.

--

"Are we there _yet?_"

"Beat, we've been here for fifteen minutes." Donald said, massaging his temples hoping the headache would kindly _go away, please, I'm begging you, leave me in peace_ but no, sadly, it did not.

"Well, yeah, but I thought there'd be mo' then _trees_ everywhere, yeah? I mean, com'on, people'd be great. We need to know things, right?"

"Yes, we do. But we could just as easily find _him. _Or anything. I don't know what we're looking for, so I will _never_ know when we're there."

"Well, could ya guess?"

"...Why did we bring him along again?"

"He asked us, after helping beat up a giant three headed dog."

"Oh, right. Well... Beat, Sora, see if you can find some source of food. There should be at least _some_ kind of fruit with this much vegitation in the area." Both boys nodded and left the landing site, Beat loudly talking with Sora now that he was the only one to listen. There were a few moments of silence shortly after, where Donald leaned his head back and sighed happily.

"Uh, Donald, we've got tons of food aboard the ship. Why would we have to restock here?" Goofy asked, reminding Donald that he was _not_ actually blissfully alone in his own world. Goofy though, was not a constant bother like Beat was. So while his personal silence was shattered, his mood was not.

"To give them something to do. Besides, if they find something delicious, we get fresh fruit juice."

"Ah... so... is that why we're here? To keep the boys busy?" Goofy asked as they started walking. As long as they were here, they might as well try to find some sign the King had been here, no matter how briefly.

"More Beat then Sora. He needs to be walked more often then Pluto... Peace and quiet won't be as rare if we give him this world to run around on."

"Shouldn't we keep an eye on them?"

"They can take care of themselves."

"Well... how do ya plan on finding somethin' sayin' the King was here?"

"I plan on perhaps stumbling on it accidentally."

"...Huh..." The adviser seemed stuck in a state of complete indifference. Such a silence that they had now seemed at a glance to be more calming to the duck then morphine. All higher functions of his brain had been repressed, and he walked on almost in a state of rest.

The foliage was thick as they moved through it, showing no real beaten paths. Aside from the wildlife it seemed that this world was uninhabited. Said foliage seemed quite unremarkable on it's own as well. No man eating insects, 'man-eating-insect' eating plants, and no trees that just tried to eat everything. They had set down on a quiet, safe world.

Donald sighed happily again, and finally, completely, let down his guard.

Then a leopard attacked them, darting out of the shrubs preparing itself for meat.

Donald, having let down his guard, did not notice the jungle cat silently run and leap until it was too late, and the powerful killing jaws were about to close on the duck's throat. A few of those killing fangs were then promptly smashed in by a shield, protecting the now painfully aware Donald from a painful death. Chunks of ice were conjured and thrown at the creature, who fled yowling in pain.

Both Donald and Goofy remained with their backs to one another, in case the beast was waiting to strike. Several tense minutes passed in silence...

The world wasn't that safe anymore.

--

"Com'_on_ Sora! This is fun!"

"Beat, if I do that, I'll get _killed!_" That, this time, was grinding on several branches in the trees. Beat seemed to have a perfect balance as he jumped from branch to branch, effectively and efficiently dancing around the grounded Sora who was holding a bunch of bananas. "Besides! I don't have a skateboard!"

"Use that toy o' yours then!"

"_Keyblade!_ _Not_ a toy!"

"Is too!"

"Is _not! _And... I can't do things like that on a _sword!_"

"Sure ya can!" Beat yelled back, before jumping off and landing a few feet from the Keyblader. "See? I's easy, yo!"

"For you, when you're using a _skateboard!_ This is a sword, even _you_ couldn't do all that on the Keyblade!"

"Oh yeah? Bring it out an' I'll sho' ya!" And Sora almost did, _almost_. But...

"I can't."

"Say what? Hey, you can pull that thing outta thin air, yo! What's so special about right here?"

"I'm not in trouble, and this world isn't blocked off yet... Whenever I use the Keyblade, heartless jump out and try to kill me."

"...No joke?" Beat said, placing a hand on his chin and looking thoughtful. "Well, if it turns on the heartless like that, guess it is mo' then jus a toy... yo, did it always do that?"

"Ever since I got it, yeah... as soon as I got it, the heartless attacking just turned and tried to dog pile me."

"Ah... tha's lame, yo..."

"Yup, so, what now?" Sora said cheerfully, seemingly unaffected by the fact he was hunted by what had recently become his hugest fear.

"Ah? Uh... I guess we keep lookin' fo' m- GET DOWN, YO!"

"AH!" Sora gasped as he fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding... absolutely nothing.

"HAH! Oh _man_ did you ever fall fo' that! Yo' face was _pricele_-" Beat was cut off mid-gloat by something hitting him in the side. Directly after, a yellow blur rocketed past where Beat's neck used to be. Both speeding figures stopped, and stood facing each other as a tense air descended onto the clearing. The leopard growled fiercely through bloody fangs at the man who had messed up it's kill. The man opposite was clad only in a loincloth, and carried a primitive spear. Sora found himself unsure as to what the real threat was, as he looked back and forth between the two feral beasts.

"HEY! What tha' _HELL?!_ I'll kick yo' ass fo'-"

"Beat! Are you alrigh-"

"Sora, did yo' see that?! He hit me, and I landed on ma'-"

"Seriously, Beat, I think he was trying to-"

"Right ON it! And ma' _keys_ were in there!"

"I don't think this is the time fo- wait, keys? Keys for what?"

"...Tha's not important, yo."

"Go!" Both boys whipped around to the man who had spoke. The man was pinned underneath the leopard, holding it's jaws back with his spear handle.

"...Go now!" he repeated when it became clear the boys weren't moving.

"Ooh, I get it now. See, he hit me 'cause there was a supercat flying at my head. Tha' about right?" Beat deduced, stroking his chin in thought.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, he _did_ get you out of the way..." Confirmed Sora, looking wide-eyed at the man wrestling the vicious predator.

"Oh, so he's _not_ a jerkass... well, tha's different, yeah?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Go _NOW!_"

"Oh, screw _that_." A second later, Beat returned the favor, serving a skateboard deck to the side of the leopard's head. Spitting and yowling in obvious anger, it prepared to launch itself at the offender, before realizing that it was quite outnumbered.

With no other course of action to take, the leopard fled.

"... Woo! Hey, didja see _that?_ That'll learn the freaken' food chain who's boss, yo!" Beat whooped as he punched the air in triumph. The wild looking man gathered himself up from the ground, standing somewhat on all fours. After studying Beat doing some sort of victory dance for a few minutes, he stood at his full height, a fair bit taller then both boys. Still, he studied them both, not saying anything.

"... Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked him after a pause. Beat had stopped dancing.

"Hey, what'cho lookin' at? Somethin' on ma' face?" Beat was mistaken though, as the man's attention was more focused on Sora's hair. He had crossed the distance in a flash, before Sora could figure out just what that glint in his eye meant. Of course, it was the same as it was when he saw it in Kairi's eye several years back, before she investigated just how solid those spikes were, and the same in Riku's eyes even before that.

"Dude."

"...What?"

"He's playin' wit'cho hair, yo."

"Yeah. Yeah he is..."

"... Yo, how does it stick up like that anyways?"

"Don't you start!" Sora yelped as he stumbled backwards, out of the man's grasp, and away from the advancing Beat. The man looked at him, head cocked to the side, with all the curiosity of a newborn.

He could understand what they were saying, somewhat. The one with the strange hair at least. The one who knocked Sabor off of him was harder to decipher when he spoke. What they were talking about seemed without a point. It reminded him of the other ones like him that had come to the jungle, for reasons he was still struggling to understand.

He then remembered a rule that the woman had taught him. _'Always introduce yourself to somebody new.'_ She had said this, then explained that it was 'polite'. Then she spent a while explaining what that meant. A way to show respect.

He saved the loud ones life. In return, he had saved his. That 'respect', that Jane taught him, seemed appropriate for this situation.

"Tarzan." Tarzan said, gesturing to himself. Their attention wasn't on him when he spoke, so they were left wondering what that word meant. Seeing their clueless looks, he tried a second time.

"Tarzan." He said, just a little slower. The one with the strange hair seemed to understand.

"Sora." He said, smiling in greeting, happy that at least one hurdle had been cleared. He wondered how much more the man could understand.

"Beat." The loud one said, following the others example. He then held out his hand in another polite motion that he remembered Jane's parent teaching him once _they_ were introduced. Tarzan reached out and gave it a firm shake. And he smiled to himself, pleased that this was going so well. He would thank the two visitors later for teaching him these greetings.

And that was when things ground to a halt. Sora sheepishly shook his hand too, as if he had forgotten to, and after that, nobody knew what to do.

Since Tarzan was the 'host', another word the two people had taught him, it was apparently up to him to entertain other visitors. The most fun place he knew of at the moment was the base camp of Jane and her father, so reason dictated that they go there.

The fastest way was through the trees, so he leapt part way up one of the wooden giants and motioned they follow him. The loud one could at least travel on trees, quite well he saw when he was watching earlier. Beat grinned and followed him up. Sora finally managed to catch up to the canopy after some trouble afterwards.

They looked out on a complex network of tree branches and vines. Beat looked like a kid in a candy store. Sora looked like a kid in a prison cell surrounded by large hairy men. Tarzan was the first to jump out and start surfing down a limb on his bare feet. Beat was right behind him, grinding down the tree as if he were at his own private skate park.

Sora noticed that the branches were worn smooth. Tarzan obviously did this a lot. Looking at it from other angles, the branch _seemed_ solid enough. It would take a charging bull behind him to get him to take the plunge though...

"Com'_ON_, Sora! Ya can't stay there all day, yo!" ...Or a fleeing bull-headed idiot in _front_ of him...

_ 'How hard could it be?'_ Sora managed to keep his balance for three and a half seconds before he was plummeting towards the ground. If not for the intervention of _'how the heck did he move that fast?!'_ Tarzan, he would have been quite injured. Tarzan swung them to safety on a vine, back where they had started. Beat was standing on another tree, looking on and shaking his head.

"This is gonna take a while, yo..."

--

_(Alright, here's hoping again that the next chapter doesn't take so long. Here's that omake I promised. Guess what? It doesn't involve me in ninja gear this time!)_

_--  
_

OMAKE. JUST ONE THIS TIME.

"Come on Aerith, it's not too late! You could just give it to me, and we'll pretend it never happened!" Yuffie said, pouting in a way that sometimes worked on the woman. Sadly this time, it was not to be.

"No, Yuffie. For starters, it's not yours. And after that, Sora doesn't even know they exist. There's only one thing we can do."

"We are not giving them to him. He'll freak out." Oh, would he ever, knowing what had resulted of a single joke.

"I know that. And since it would be a shame to... destroy them... this is the only way to really keep it a secret."

"But what if somebody _creepy_ gets a hold of them?! And then they'll slowly start developing an obsession, and they'll call him on the phone, breath really heavily when he answers, and then hang up, and then they'll talk to him, but he'll have no idea it's his stalker, and then they'll go back to the stalker's place, and the sicko will drug him, and then do this and that and... _things_ to his sleeping body and then he'll wake up in a pit in the basement and _it puts the lotion on it's skin or-_"

"Yuffie, that is very paranoid. Even for you."

"Sorry, I got carried away." She said with a sheepish grin on her face. "Well, what if you just gave me _one_. I mean, I think _you_ took one when nobody else was looking."

"That's ridiculous. Why would I do that?" Aerith was quite the accomplished actress when she wanted to be. Yuffie fell for it like an axed tree.

"Well, either way, just _one!_ Come on, I might never see any of them again!"

"You were invited to the auction, of course you'll see them again. Provided you loosen your wallet."

"But I want one _now_."

"Keep that up, and I'll stop you from entering entirely."

"Aerith! How could you be so mean?!"

"All you have to do is stop asking, and you can buy it in a little bit."

"Aw..."

"Now, to your seat."

"Kay. See you soon!" And off she bounded to the room set aside for the only secret auction in the history of Traverse Town. A small collection of the world's female population were already seated, chattering like birds. Aerith sighed, and looked at the object in her hands. If not for the auction, they would all be fighting over it tooth and nail. Before she walked to the podium, she stole another picture from the album she was holding. Sora was priceless in every one. With the picture safely stashed in her pocket right alongside the first she had stolen, she walked out and smacked the podium with her gavel.

"So begins the first ever Traverse Town secret charity auction. Money exchange rates are posted on the wall behind me, and all bets will be made in gil. The first item up for bid is this-" At the very sight of the album, large sums of money were yelled out with the wild waving of numbered paddles.

"Order! Calm down everyone! Alright... taken into account the yelling of random numbers, we'll start the bidding at one thousand gil. Do I hea-"

"Twenty-five hundred!" Oh, Yuffie was going to have competition.

"Thirty-five hundred!" It was going to be a long and bloody night at this rate. Now she knew why Yuffie insisted on coming to the auction with so many shuriken...


End file.
